The Royal Society’s South-east Asian Rain Forest Research Programme: an introduction

This symposium reports some of the major findings to date of the Royal Society’s South-east Asian Rain Forest Research Programme initiated in 1985 on ‘The recovery of tropical forest following disturbance: patterns and processes’. The objective is to gain an understanding of the influence of the creation of gaps of various sizes and kinds, both natural and man-made, upon the flora and fauna of closed-canopy forest, and of the processes whereby these gaps will eventually be filled. Major studies in the first six years have examined spatial dynamics of trees, regeneration dynamics, the role of colonization species and of mycorrhiza, forest hydrology and geomorphic processes, arthropods as decomposers and predators, and the effects of selective logging upon animal populations. Research is concentrated at the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, but associated projects have been undertaken elsewhere in Malesia. At Danum, British input in the first six years has involved ten scientists in long-term residence and 98 short-term visits. Fundamental to the programme has been collaboration between British participants from a variety of disciplines belonging to ten universities and five research institutes, and between British and overseas scientists. Also fundamental has been the provision of training in rain forest ecology; to date, this has involved 12 Doctoral and four Masters students of which six and three respectively are from South-east Asia.