Logged tropical forests retain important environmental values

Logged tropical forests retain important environmental values

the Netherlands - 29 May, 2012

Selectively logged tropical forests retain valuable biodiversity, carbon stocks, and – if well-managed – timber resources. This is the main message of a review just published in Conservation Letters. The authors reviewed over 100 studies in which environmental values and timber stocks of logged forests were quantified. The conclusion goes well beyond the popular view held by environmentalists who insist that strict protection is the only viable form of conservation.

The study was conducted by an international team of 12 scientists led by Francis Putz from the University of Florida, and included Roderick Zagt from Tropenbos International and Pieter Zuidema and Marielos Peña-Claros from Wageningen University. The study was published in Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00242.x Click here for a pdf version of this article.

Logging & biodiversity

The study shows that selectively logged forests can be almost as diverse as undisturbed forest. The species richness of mammals, birds, invertebrates and plants in these forests is 85-100% of that in unlogged forests. Lead author Francis Putz from the University of Florida: “Logged forests are greatly undervalued in the conservation world. Our results show that they should play a more prominent role. They are the ‘middle way’ between deforestation and total protection.” He adds: “We certainly need strictly protected areas in tropical rainforests, but if we put all our effort on the 10-20% of rainforest area that are strictly protected we will miss great opportunities for conservation. The 400 million hectares of tropical forests officially designated for logging already contribute to biodiversity conservation and may do so more if their management is improved.”
The authors recognize that ‘conservation through use’ is a politically charged issue. Putz: “This paper is likely to cause quite a stir in conservation and development circles. But more importantly, I hope it will stimulate interest in sustainable tropical forest management as a viable conservation strategy”.

Stocks

Logged forests reduce climate change by retaining a large proportion (~80%) of their original carbon stocks, even shortly after trees have been felled. Loss of carbon during felling operations may be substantially reduced when applying careful logging practices. Pieter Zuidema of the Forest Ecology and Forest Management group: “Keeping carbon in logged forests is crucial as this reduces CO2-emissions. Deforestation, fire, and poor management of tropical forests contribute 15-20% of the CO2-emissions worldwide. The UN ‘REDD+’ initiative that aims to reduce these emissions can provide important incentives for more careful treatment of tropical forests.”
Logged forests will deliver lower volumes of timber during the next round of exploitation. The reviewed studies indicate that timber yields available after 20-40 years are 50% of the volume obtained during the first harvest. Marielos Peña-Claros, also at the Forest Ecology and Forest Management group: “Timber yields can be substantially increased if the growth of small valuable trees is stimulated by freeing them from lianas and by removing other competitors. In Bolivian forests we have shown that these practices increase growth rates by up to 58%.”

Outlook

The authors are optimistic about the prospects of managed forests to continue supplying timber, supporting local development, and reducing the effects of climate change. Marielos Peña-Claros is convinced that several new international initiatives will improve tropical forest management. “Certification of good management practices, such as by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), will become more important. In addition, the recent EU policies that require tropical timber to be from legal origins, the so-called FLEGT program, will also give a boost to responsible forest management”. Roderick Zagt of Tropenbos International points to a third factor that stimulates forest management: “In large areas the control over rainforests has been handed back to indigenous peoples and rural communities. This small-scale management of forests is often better and more sustainable in the long run, and helps reduce poverty.” 

Putz, F. E., Zuidema, P. A., Synnott, T., Peña-Claros, M., Pinard, M. A., Sheil, D., Vanclay, J. K., Sist, P., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Griscom, B., Palmer, J. and Zagt, R. (2012), Sustaining conservation values in selectively logged tropical forests: the attained and the attainable. Conservation Letters. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00242.x
 

PublicationsShow all

Publication

Biodiversity conservation in certified forests

The role of logging in the loss and degradation of tropical forest has become an issue of popular concern and political debate across the world. Over the years, the insight has grown that responsible management of forests for timber production may also make a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation. The promotion of socially and ecologically sound forest management through forest certification is now widely embraced as a strategy to conserve the world's forests and the biodiversity they contain.

Approximately 8% of global forest area has been certified under a variety of schemes but in African, Asian and tropical American forests this is less than 2%. Increasing the extent of certification in the tropics remains a goal for many organizations including some international conservation NGOs. So far, so good, but many details about certification's effectiveness remain uncertain, including those on biodiversity.

In this issue of ETFRN News on Biodiversity conservation in certified forests, a wide variety of authors involved in certification and/or the conservation of tropical forest biodiversity provide their views on the question whether certification is a good conservation strategy for tropical forests. The 33 articles report on practical experiences from concessions and community forests, on the challenges of monitoring biodiversity, high conservation value forests and a range of other subjects. The results of a dedicated on-line survey devised especially for this ETFRN News provide additional context to the views expressed in the articles.

The general message that emerges is a positive one, but not without qualifications. Most authors and respondents agree that certification has helped to improve management practices and to conserve forest biodiversity within certified forests in the tropics. However, the true extent of conservation benefits remains unknown due to a lack of rigorous and independent information. Many agreed that certification is not equivalent to full conservation and point at the limitations of certification in reducing deforestation rates.

This issue aims to inform and advance debates concerning the role of forest certification in biodiversity conservation, and to stimulate efforts to better demonstrate and explore these.

Individual chapters can be downloaded from the ETFRN website.

Publication

Biodiversity conservation in certified forests: an overview

Publication

Effects of forest certification on biodiversity

Forest certification is widely seen as an important component of strategies for conserving the world"s forests. During the 1990s concern about the loss of biodiversity in logged forests was a key driver behind the emergence of forest certification. It was thought that by adhering to strict standards, production forests could help protecting biodiversity. Forest certification was introduced more than 15 years ago and since then more than 300 million hectares of forests have been certified under a variety of schemes. But does it work? Tropenbos International (TBI) now presents the results of a literature study evaluating the effects of forest certification on the biodiversity of temperate, boreal, and tropical forests. This publication addresses the effects of forest certification on biodiversity by discussing what biodiversity is, how it is measured, what sustainable forest management is, and by analyzing the available scientific literature on the effects of forest management activities and certification on biodiversity.