EFETIVIDADE NA RESTAURAÇÃO DE FLORESTAS TROPICAIS: COMO O DESEMPENHO DIFERENCIAL DAS ESPÉCIES E O CONTEXTO ECOLÓGICO INFLUENCIAM O ESTABELECIMENTO E OCUPAÇÃO

Restaurar as florestas tropicais é essencial para enfrentar mudanças climáticas globais, manter e conservar a diversidade e os serviços ecossistêmicos. Foi analisado o estabelecimento e ocupação em três estratégias de restauração florestal (Plantio em Mudas em Área Total (PAT), Ilhas de Diversidade (ID) e Semeadura Direta (SD)) da vegetação florestal associada a cursos d’água. Foram avaliados: o número de indivíduos, intensidade de perfilhamento, biomassa acima do solo, área de copa, diâmetro e altura médios, por indivíduo, em 58 unidades amostrais (10 x 30 m) distribuídas entre as estratégias após 2,5 anos da implantação. Também foram avaliadas as principais espécies e suas similaridades entre as estratégias. A SD proporcionou maior efetividade quanto ao Número de indivíduos, Biomassa e Área de Copa, enquanto, a intensidade de perfilhamento foi maior nas ID e não houveram diferenças quanto a média de altura e diâmetro. Cada estratégia apresentou um conjunto particular de espécies de maior sucesso e as mais similares foram aquelas que utilizaram mudas (PAT e ID). A estratégia SD destacou-se no estudo, especialmente quando considerados aspectos ecológicos e custos envolvidos. As espécies contribuíram na diferenciação das estratégias, pois, proporcionaram funções ecológicas distintas que influenciam processos ecológicos em nível de comunidade e indivíduos. Palavras-chave: restauração florestal; nucleação; semeadura direta; plantio de mudas; floresta Amazônica. Effectiveness in the tropical forest restoration: how the differential performance of species and ecological context affect the establishment and occupation ABSTRACT: Restoring tropical forests is essential to address global climate change, to maintain and conserve diversity and ecosystem services. The establishment and occupation of three forest restoration strategies (Total Seedling Planting (PAT), Diversity Islands (ID) and Direct Seeding (SD)) of the forest vegetation associated with watercourses was analyzed. It were evaluated: the number of individuals, resprouting intensity, above-ground biomass, canopy area, average diameter and height, per individual, in 58 sample units (10 x 30 m) distributed among the strategies after 2.5 years of implantation. It was also evaluated the main species and their similarities between the strategies. The SD provided more effective as the number of individuals, biomass and treetop area, while the intensity of resprouting was higher in ID and there were no differences in mean height and diameter. Each strategy presented a particular set of most successful species and the most similar were those that used seedlings (PAT and ID). The highlight of the SD strategy is magnified when considering ecological perspectives, and social costs involved. The species contributed to the differentiation of strategies, because they provide distinct ecological functions that influence ecological processes at the community level and individuals. Keywords: forest restoration; nucleation; direct seeding; seedling planting; Amazon rainforest.

Trade-driven trapping dampens the biodiversity benefits of forest restoration in Southeast Asia

Tropical forest restoration stands to deliver important conservation gains in lowland Southeast Asia, which has suffered some of the world's highest rates of forest degradation and loss. This promise, however, may be undermined by defaunation driven by ubiquitous wildlife trapping in the region, particularly for forest birds that are part of the multi-million-dollar pet trade. To date, quantification of the impacts of trade-driven trapping on rates of biodiversity recovery from forest restoration has been limited. Here, we use a unique long-term survey dataset to ask how trade-driven trapping may interfere with the expected recovery of avian community under forest restoration, at a flagship ecosystem restoration site in the lowland rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. We show that tropical forest restoration is associated with the increases in the abundance of 88% of bird species over time. However, impacts of trapping within more accessible areas of the forest meant that this recovery was dampened for 74% of bird species, relative to levels expected as a result of the magnitude of forest recovery observed. Most species (80%) showed increasingly positive relationships between abundance and site remoteness over the period, a pattern that was found for both species targeted for the pet trade (85% of species) and those trapped opportunistically or as 'bycatch' (78% of species). We emphasize the urgency of tackling the emerging threat of pet trade to Southeast Asia's avian diversity, not least to ensure the effectiveness of efforts towards forest restoration.

Outplanting Performance of the Bornean Tropical Indigenous Species Shorea macrophylla (de Vriese) P. S. Ashton in relation to Seedling Age

Planting high-quality seedlings with desirable growth attributes are associated with successful survival and growth performance following outplanting. Considering that most tree species from the Dipterocarpaceae family are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, proper conservation of such species is necessary. Very little is known with no clear consensus regarding whether increasing the seedling production period enhances outplanting survival and growth potential of tropical dipterocarp species planted under enrichment planting in Malaysia. In this study, one potential Bornean tropical indigenous species, Shorea macrophylla (de Vriese) P.S. Ashton, was produced in the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak nursery and outplanted at Sampadi Forest Reserve, Sarawak. Different nursery production periods (3, 6, 9, and 24 months) were tested for the species at the time of planting as well as for the subsequent growth performance after 12, 24, and 42 months of outplanting. The findings revealed that older (9- and 24-month-old) S. macrophylla seedlings were morphologically larger from younger (3- and 6-month-old) seedlings. Nonetheless, the overall pooled mean survival rates declined from 61.7 to 44.6% after 12, 24, and 42 months of outplanting. For the 42-month period, the survival rate for the 9-month-old seedlings was significantly higher than that for the 3-, 6-, and 24-month-old seedlings. Notwithstanding, the relative growth rate of the stem diameter was higher for the 3- and 9-month-old seedlings than for the 6- and 24-month-old seedlings after 42 months of outplanting. Thus, maintaining plant material from the seedlings produced at 3, 6, and 9 months of age would be beneficial for the initiation of transplantation in restoration programmes in Sarawak. The 24-month-old seedlings will also be useful, especially during irregular flowering and unpredictable fruiting intervals. A further experimental study on other environmental factors that could influence the outplanting performance of the seedlings in the tropical forest restoration area of Sarawak, Malaysia, is necessary.