The relevance of cloud forest fragments and their transition zones for butterfly conservation in Taita Hills, Kenya

Secondary succession was studied in a Mexican cloud forest region along a chronosequence of 15 abandoned pastures (0.25–80 y). Our objective was to determine the effects of distance from the forest border on successional vegetation structure and woody species richness along the chronosequence. Vegetation structure similar to that of mature forests recovered over 40–50 y, both close to (0–10 m) and away from (40–50 m) the border. Total woody species richness was similar for both distances but species composition differed significantly. When primary forest species were analysed separately, basal area, height, abundance and richness were all significantly higher close to the forest border. Primary species such as Quercus spp. (barochorous-synzoochorous) and Carpinus caroliniana (anemochorous) had lower basal area, density and height away from the border than close to it. Secondary species such as Lippia myriocephala (anemochorous) and Myrsine coriacea (endozoochorous) did not differ in their rate of colonization between distances. The limitation of seed dispersal and establishment for primary woody species away from forest borders suggests that propagules need to be introduced to accelerate forest restoration.

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Changes in seed rain during secondary succession in a tropical montane cloud forest region in Oaxaca, Mexico

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467408005142 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 433-444 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

R. F. del Castillo ◽

M. A. Pérez Ríos

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Secondary Succession ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Seed Rain ◽

Stand Age ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Long Distance ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

AbstractSeed dispersal is the first stage of colonization, and potentially affects recruitment. This process deserves more attention in tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF), since secondary succession is common owing to episodic disturbances. We studied annual seed rain in 10 nearby forest stands, ≈7 to ≈100 y following shifting agriculture, and one primary forest stand in southern Mexico to test the hypothesis that seed rain is limited at the scale of neighbouring fragments and that such limitation differs among species with different dispersal modes and successional origin. Annual seed rain was heterogeneous among forest fragments probably due to the prevalence of local seed dispersal, differences in stand age and the proportion of zoochory, and may help explain the patchy distribution of species observed in TMCF. Seed rain abundance and species diversity per unit trap area increased with the age of the stand. Biotically dispersed seeds increased towards older stands relative to abiotically dispersed seeds. Late-successional seeds were rarer in early successional stands than pioneer seeds in late-successional stands, suggesting that long-distance dispersal is generally more common for pioneer plants. Seed dispersal appears to constrain forest regeneration and to influence fragment species composition as a function of the distance from the source forests.

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Reconciling Community Livelihood Needs and Biodiversity Conservation in Taita Hills Forests for Improved Livelihoods and Transformational Management of the Landscape

Fostering Transformative Change for Sustainability in the Context of Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (SEPLS) ◽

10.1007/978-981-33-6761-6_2 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 17-35

Author(s):

Chemuku Wekesa ◽

Leila Ndalilo ◽

Carolyne Manya

Keyword(s):

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Local Population ◽

Wood Products ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Taita Hills ◽

Fragmented Forests ◽

Integrated Conservation

AbstractThe fragmented forests of Taita Hills form an exceptional multi-functional socio-ecological production landscape with outstanding diversity of flora and fauna that provide ecosystem goods and services supporting human wellbeing and livelihood systems. However, these forests are threatened by illegal logging for wood products and encroachment for crop farming. A study was conducted in villages surrounding five forest fragments to establish the conservation programmes responsible for keeping these forests intact for provision of goods and services to the local communities. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 250 respondents in 25 villages surrounding the five forest fragments. Twenty-five focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with key informants actively involved in conservation activities. Results showed that the Taita community conserves the forest fragments through management practices that integrate livelihood needs in conservation, such as butterfly farming, bee-keeping and ecotourism. Additionally, community tree nurseries have been established to produce seedlings for restoring degraded areas, and agroforestry belts have been established on the forests’ edges to provide wood products and protect the forests from encroachment. Likewise, village committees have been established to oversee conservation activities inside the village jurisdictional area. The integrated conservation and livelihood approach has reduced forest destruction, enhanced landscape connectivity for biodiversity conservation, increased incomes, enhanced capacity of the community to adapt to climate change, improved food security, enhanced carbon storage, strengthened traditional knowledge and practices, and ensured availability of clean water for the local population.

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Group Living in the Black-Breasted Wood-Quail and the Use of Playbacks as a Survey Technique

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/108.1.107 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 107-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amanda M. Hale

Keyword(s):

New World ◽

Group Structure ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Group Living ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Continuous Forest ◽

Survey Technique ◽

One Year ◽

Remnant Forest

Abstract I used playbacks of recorded group song to survey and capture Black-breasted Wood-Quail (Odontophorus leucolaemus), a cloud forest endemic, in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This species is abundant in the dense understory of large windbreaks, forest fragments, and continuous forest of the Monteverde Reserve Complex. Mean covey size was four adults (range = 2–9 adults) and mean density, which did not differ between fragmented and continuous forest, was one covey per 3.3 ha. Wood-Quail defended all-purpose group territories and coveys persisted from one year to the next, indicating a group structure that is very different from what is found in most New World quail. A peak in breeding activity occurred at the transition from the wet to the dry season and larger groups produced significantly more juveniles than smaller groups in this population. Playbacks were a useful technique for detecting Black-breasted Wood-Quail; coveys responded to 65% of survey attempts by chorus and approach. By repeating the survey just three times, I was able to detect 91% ± 5% of all coveys that were known from extensive searches to occur in the remnant forest patches of the Monteverde community. The year-round sociality that is seen in this species is due in part to the retention of young on the natal territory beyond the age of sexual maturity. The intriguing relationship between group size and reproductive success in this population suggests the wood-quail may provide the first demonstration of a cooperative breeding system in the Galliformes.

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Vocalization Analyses of Nocturnal Arboreal Mammals of the Taita Hills, Kenya

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d12120473 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 473

Author(s):

Hanna Rosti ◽

Henry Pihlström ◽

Simon Bearder ◽

Petri Pellikka ◽

Jouko Rikkinen

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Contact Call ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Montane Forests ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Otolemur Garnettii ◽

Loud Calls ◽

Call Structure ◽

Taita Hills ◽

Contact Calls

Three poorly known nocturnal mammal species from the montane forests of the Taita Hills in Kenya, were studied via vocalization analysis. Here, their acoustic behaviour is described. The studied animals were the tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax sp.), the small-eared greater galago (Otolemur garnettii), and the dwarf galago (Paragalago sp.). High-quality loud calls were analysed using RAVEN PRO, and compared to calls of presumed closest relatives. Our findings include the first detailed descriptions of tree hyrax songs. Moreover, our results suggest that the tree hyrax of Taita Hills may be a taxon new to science, as it produces a characteristic call, the ‘strangled thwack’, not previously known from other Dendrohyrax populations. Our data confirms that the small-eared greater galago subspecies living in the Taita Hills is Otolemur garnettii lasiotis. The loud calls of the elusive Taita Hills dwarf galago closely resemble those of the Kenya coast dwarf galago (Paragalago cocos). Thus, the population in the Taita Hills probably belongs to this species. The Taita Hills dwarf galagos are geographically isolated from other dwarf galago populations, and live in montane cloud forest, which is an unusual habitat for P. cocos. Intriguingly, two dwarf galago subpopulations living in separate forest patches in the Taita Hills, Ngangao and Mbololo, have clearly different contact calls. The Paragalagos in Mbololo Forest may represent a population of P. cocos with a derived call repertoire, or, alternatively, they may actually be mountain dwarf galagos (P. orinus). Hence, differences in habitat, behaviour, and contact call structure suggest that there may be two different Paragalago species in the montane forests of the Taita Hills.

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Conservation in the Monteverde Zone: Contributions of Conservation Organizations

Monteverde ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195095609.003.0016 ◽

2000 ◽

Author(s):

Leslie j. Burlingame

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Wood Products ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Grassroots Organizations ◽

San Jose ◽

Science Center ◽

Forested Areas ◽

Conservation Organizations

Monteverde is renowned among tropical biologists, conservationists, and ecotourists for its cloud forests, quetzals, and Golden Toads. These forest ecosystems have been preserved while many other rain forests in Latin America have been destroyed for agriculture, wood products, and development. Initially, the area was preserved because it was nearly inaccessible; it remains protected because of dedicated efforts by local inhabitants, the development of effective grassroots organizations, and funds and expertise from the international scientific and conservation communities. In this chapter I document the development and contributions of grassroots conservation organizations that promote conservation practices and thinking. Four organizations preserved forested areas that now constitute the Monteverde Reserve Complex (see Fig. 1.7): (a) Bosqueterno, a reserve and organization formed by the Quaker settlers to protect their watershed; (b) the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve (MCFP) managed by the San José-based Tropical Science Center (TSC); (c) Bosque Eterno de los Niños (Children’s Eternal Forest; BEN), whose land was acquired by the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL); and (d) the Santa Elena High School Cloud Forest Reserve (SER) established by the local high school (colegio). Other activities discussed in this chapter are efforts to (1) protect reserve areas, (2) protect forest fragments outside the reserves and create corridors to link forested areas, (3) reforest and rehabilitate damaged land, (4) develop environmental education at all levels, (5) develop complementarity and cooperation among organizations, and (6) establish projects in sustainable development. These topics are linked with the growth of scientific knowledge and the development of ecotourism in the zone. The thesis of this chapter is that conservation organizations emerged as a series of responses to newly perceived environmental needs and opportunities. I identify successes and failures of conservation efforts by organizations in the Monteverde Zone and the factors responsible for them, analyze problems that have been or need to be resolved, and determine the extent to which institutional developments in the Monteverde Zone may serve as models in conservation and sustainable development for other areas.

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