New records of fungal pathogens of invertebrates from endemic pine forests in Mexico

We report fungal pathogens of invertebrates (FPI) (Entomophthorales, Hypocreales, and Orbiliales) from roots of an endemic Mexican pine, Pinus greggii Engelm. ex Parl., at four primary montane forests using next-generation sequencing. We found twenty-nine OTUs from 18 genera of FPI associated to the roots of P. greggii. New records for Mexico are: Beauveria felina (DC.) J.W.Carmich., Dactylella mammillata S.M. Dixon, Dactylella ramosa Matsushima, Drechslerella brochopaga (Drechsler) M. Scholler, Hagedorn & A. Rubner, Hirsutella minnesotensis Chen, Liu & Chen, Leptobacillium leptobactrum (W.Gams) Zare & W.Gams, Metapochonia variabilis Z.F.Zhang, F.Liu & L.Cai, Monacrosporium leptosporum (Drechsler) A. Rubner, and Simplicillium aogashimaense Nonaka, Kaifuchi & Masuma. A largely unknown array of fungal pathogens of invertebrates are likely to be found in Mexican forests.  This work facilitates future analyses of fungal diversity in these primary forests, as well as basic and applied research in biological control.

Naturalness Is in the Eye of the Beholder

World conservation discourse concentrates on forests of high naturalness, which are variously termed intact forest landscapes, primary forests, pristine forests, and wilderness. In this essay, we bring Amazonian Indigenous perspectives to this discussion, both because Amazonian Indigenous Peoples have the right to be in the discussion and because they have a lot to teach us about naturalness. It is essential to understand that Indigenous ontologies do not distinguish culture from nature, since all beings, humans and non-humans, are part of a network of social-ecological interactions. Hence, forests are not natural, but the domus of different beings who inhabit, care for and cultivate them. Each part of the forest mosaic in different stages of social-ecological succession has different owners: when people open swiddens, they must respect other – non-human – forest residents to do so, and when they fallow their swiddens, these other forest residents reassume their original roles as managers and conservers of that part of the mosaic. Each stage of the succession also contains cultivated and domesticated plant populations, so we can think of a different kind of conservation: that of genetic resources. From this perspective, swidden-fallow represents on farm conservation, while less anthropogenic parts of the forest mosaic represent in situ conservation. We believe that reframing forest conservation and learning from Indigenous People can inspire innovative conservation science and policies.

Land use dynamics under the Bolsa Floresta Program: a case study of the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve (Amazonas, Brazil)

ABSTRACT The effectiveness of a program of payment for environmental services (PES) in the Brazilian Amazon was analyzed through an accurate mapping of deforested areas. The Bolsa Floresta Program (BFP) in Amazonas state (Brazil) was chosen as an example of a PES program that aims to compensate farmers for their commitment to zero deforestation of primary forests while opening swiddens only in secondary vegetation areas. However, the official measurement of opened swiddens is not effective since only deforested areas larger than 6.25 ha are mapped, whereas most areas opened for cassava crops are approximately 1 ha in size. The effectiveness of the BFP was evaluated in the Uatumã Sustainable Development Reserve (SDR). We tested a methodology for mapping areas from 0.45 ha upwards that have been opened for cassava swiddens. The years 2006 (before the implementation of the BFP), 2011, 2015 and 2019 were analyzed. The results indicated that 88% of the areas opened for swiddens were between 0.45 and 6.25 ha in size. After the implantation of the BFP, the cumulative total deforested area decreased, and there was a reduction in deforested areas in primary forests. An intensification of swidden cultivation was also observed, which could cause a decline in productivity. The monitoring by land-use zoning showed that the majority of opened areas were located in intensive use zones, following the rules of the SDR management plan. The results show the efforts of local families to fulfill the BFP rules.

Low impact of forest conversion on biodiversity: evidence from small mammals in contrasting forests of Mt. Liangshan, China

Secondary and plantation forests are the main alternative forests remaining after the deforestation of primary forests. Understanding the conservation value of secondary and plantation forests is important for resource utilization. To explore the impact of forest conversion on biodiversity, we compared multiple diversity metrics (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity) and community structures of small mammals in the primary, secondary and plantation forests on Mt. Liangshan, Sichuan Province, China. Seven field surveys were conducted to survey local small mammal assemblages between 2016 and 2020. We found that the taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity metrics of small mammals in the three forest types were similar at the landscape scale, while all diversity metrics were lowest in the plantation forest and highest in the primary forests at the site scale. The community structure analysis showed that random processes were dominant across the three forest types, and there was no difference in small mammal community structures among the three forest types. Our results indicated that secondary and plantation forests in the nature reserves, adjacent to the primary forest and exposed to little human disturbance, also can provide important habitats for small mammals.

European primary forest database v2.0

Primary forests, defined here as forests where the signs of human impacts, if any, are strongly blurred due to decades without forest management, are scarce in Europe and continue to disappear. Despite these losses, we know little about where these forests occur. Here, we present a comprehensive geodatabase and map of Europe’s known primary forests. Our geodatabase harmonizes 48 different, mostly field-based datasets of primary forests, and contains 18,411 individual patches (41.1 Mha) spread across 33 countries. When available, we provide information on each patch (name, location, naturalness, extent and dominant tree species) and the surrounding landscape (biogeographical regions, protection status, potential natural vegetation, current forest extent). Using Landsat satellite-image time series (1985–2018) we checked each patch for possible disturbance events since primary forests were identified, resulting in 94% of patches free of significant disturbances in the last 30 years. Although knowledge gaps remain, ours is the most comprehensive dataset on primary forests in Europe, and will be useful for ecological studies, and conservation planning to safeguard these unique forests.

Dynamics of land use in a rural settlement in the Brazilian Legal Amazon

Deforestation in the Amazon has reached alarming numbers in recent decades. The main factors causing this issue are not only large and medium-sized farmers, land grabbing, and illegal mining but also agrarian reform settlements, which may be contributing to the increase in deforestation rates. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the dynamics of land use in the rural settlement Santo Antônio do Matupi, located in the south of the State of Amazonas. This time-series study analyzed changes in land use and land cover from 1992 to 2018 using supervised classification techniques. In this scenario, simulations were carried out of the dynamics of land use for the period between 2028 and 2038 using the cellular automaton method of Markov (CAMARKOV). The results show that, in the studied period, the greatest losses were in primary forests and that the most critical period of deforestation rates recorded was from 2004 to 2018 when 63.28% of the area was converted into pastures. Future scenarios based on the period studied indicate losses of up to 5.26% of areas occupied by forests by 2028, and a further 5.60% by 2038, exceeding 80% of the total area deforested in the settlement. This study demonstrates that the current model of land use and occupation practiced in the settlement is unsustainable and that future scenarios are worrying. This situation highlights a need to effectively implement programs that aim a sustainable rural development in the settlement, in addition to monitoring and controlling deforestation, designed for current managers and other sectors of the society concerned with the conservation and preservation of forests.

Tree-Related Microhabitats Follow Similar Patterns but are More Diverse in Primary Compared to Managed Temperate Mountain Forests

The impact of forest management on biodiversity is difficult to scrutinize along gradients of management. A step towards analyzing the impact of forest management on biodiversity is comparisons between managed and primary forests. The standardized typology of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) is a multi-taxon indicator used to quantify forest biodiversity. We aim to analyze the influence of environmental factors on the occurrence of groups of TreMs by comparing primary and managed forests. We collected data for the managed forests in the Black Forest (Germany) and for the primary forests in the Western (Slovakia) and Southern Carpathians (Romania). To model the richness and the different groups of TreMs per tree, we used generalized linear mixed models with diameter at breast height (DBH), altitude, slope and aspect as predictors for European beech (Fagus sylvatica (L.)), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.)) and silver fir (Abies alba (Mill.)) in primary and managed temperate mountain forests. We found congruent results for overall richness and the vast majority of TreM groups. Trees in primary forests hosted a greater richness of all and specific types of TreMs than individuals in managed forests. The main drivers of TreMs are DBH and altitude, while slope and aspect play a minor role. We recommend forest and nature conservation managers to focus: 1) on the conservation of remaining primary forests and 2) approaches of biodiversity-oriented forest management on the selection of high-quality habitat trees that already provide a high number of TreMs in managed forests based on the comparison with primary forests.

KEANEKARAGAMAN DAN KEMERATAAN BURUNG PADA BERBAGAI TIPE HABITAT DI DESA ARTAIN KECAMATAN ARANIO KABUPATEN BANJAR KALIMANTAN SELATAN

Artain is a village located opposite the Riam Kanan reservoir in Aranio District, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan Province. There are various types of habitat in the Village, from the edge of a reservoir to primary forest which is thought to be home to various birds species, which over time has the potential to degrade or change due to human activity which then reduces its quality and function as habitat for many birds species. It is necessary to research the diversity and evenness of birds in each habitat type in Artain, so that the existence of various bird species can be known. The research was conducted from May to June 2020, the method used in the study was the cruising circumference point, which is determining the observation point and its radius and then making observations by exploring the observation path continue. The results showed that there were 9 types of bird's habitat in Artain, they are Settlements, Periphery Reservoirs, Shrubs, Mixed Gardens, Rubber Gardens, Reeds, Fields, Secondary Forests, and Primary Forests. The lowest diversity value (H' = 1.25) was identified in field habitats and the highest (H' = 3.17) in scrub habitats, meaning that the level of diversity in all habitats was classified as moderate. The lowest evenness value in secondary forest habitats (E = 0.80) and the highest is mixed garden habitats and rubber gardens (E = 0.97), which means that evenness in each habitat is in the high category.