Gradient forests: calculating importance gradients on physical predictors

In ecological analyses of species and community distributions there is interest in the nature of their responses to environmental gradients and in identifying the most important environmental variables, which may be used for predicting patterns of biodiversity. Methods such as random forests already exist to assess predictor importance for individual species and to indicate where along gradients abundance changes. However, there is a need to extend these methods to whole assemblages, to establish where along the range of these gradients the important compositional changes occur, and to identify any important thresholds or change points. We develop such a method, called "gradient forest," which is an extension of the random forest approach. By synthesizing the cross-validated R2 and accuracy importance measures from univariate random forest analyses across multiple species, sampling devices, and surveys, gradient forest obtains a monotonic function of each predictor that represents the compositional turnover along the gradient of the predictor. When applied to a synthetic data set, the method correctly identified the important predictors and delineated where the compositional change points occurred along these gradients. Application of gradient forest to a real data set from part of the Great Barrier Reef identified mud fraction of the sediment as the most important predictor, with highest compositional turnover occurring at mud fraction values around 25%, and provided similar information for other predictors. Such refined information allows for more accurate capturing of biodiversity patterns for the purposes of bioregionalization, delineation of protected areas, or designing of biodiversity surveys.     

Association between plant species diversity and edaphic factors in the lower reaches of the Heihe River,northwestern China

The lower reaches of the Heihe River, in northwestern China, is characterised by unique local edaphic conditions that have influenced the development of local desert riparian forests. This study examines the variations in spatial variation patterns to reveal the relationships between plant species diversity and soil moisture/salinity/texture gradients at different soil depths, providing insights into the management and restoration of vegetation in ecosystems in the study area. The species–environmental relationships are investigated by redundancy analysis based on the plant species diversity matrix and the edaphic gradient matrix. A survey of 61 sampling plots identified 37 plant species in the study area. The distribution pattern of the plant species diversity are mainly affected by soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil texture at different soil depths. These edaphic factors are able to explain 98.47% of the total variation in the analysed vegetation dataset. Soil moisture, salinity, and texture content vary in terms of both the soil depths and the vegetation types in the study area. The plant community Class IV, xeric shrub, has the lowest soil water content among different vegetation types. The surface soil salinity differs for different plants and follows the order: Sophora alopecurides?>?Tamarix chinensis?>?Populus euphratica.     

Structural gradients in an intertidal hard-bottom community: examining vertical,horizontal, and taxonomic clines in zoobenthic biodiversity

Measures of biodiversity along environmental gradients have long been the focus of marine ecological research. However, a general lack of comparability between studies and under-appreciation of co-occurring, less obvious clines has often undermined any general conclusions. Latitudinal, vertical, horizontal, and taxonomic gradients in intertidal biodiversity were assessed directly and indirectly using a large data set from one locality in southwest Ireland. A total of 153 epifaunal species, from 106 families and 13 phyla, was recorded from over 200,000 individuals in a sample area of 63 m². Multivariate analysis revealed that the vertical gradient of immersion was the primary structuring factor in the community but that a flow-driven horizontal gradient was also important in structuring low- and mid-shore zones. Crustaceans, annelids, and molluscs were most numerous over the entire site, but bryozoans and sponges may have played the most significant role in driving the horizontal (flow-related) trend in species richness at lower levels on the shore. Comparison of species richness with sites from other locations around the world proved inconclusive in assessing a global trend in richness from the poles to the tropics. However, interpolation of this and similar studies may prove useful in future latitudinal investigations of hard-substratum intertidal biota. Higher-taxon surrogacy for species trends proved significant and useful at the scale investigated here, whereby analysis of data from family or even order level may prove an efficient method of future monitoring. More data are required to assess if the top-down taxonomic approach will sufficiently mirror species trends at larger spatial scales. Overall, the generality of effects of environmental gradients on intertidal organisms may be more conclusive where entire communities are studied and consideration is given to other, less dominant clines.Communicated by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin     

芦芽山土壤有机碳和全氮沿海拔梯度变化规律

研究不同海拔梯度和坡向的土壤碳氮分布,能在较小的空间尺度上反映不同气候状况下土壤碳氮分布规律,揭示多个互相关联的环境因子对土壤碳氮分布规律的综合影响。对山西省北部芦芽山芦芽山沿海拔梯度土壤有机碳和全氮含量的变化规律进行了分析。自海拔1703.1 m至2756.3 m每上升约50 m设置一个样带（共计21块）,每样带内布设30 m＆#215;30 m样地3个,每个样地内“S”形布点,分3层（0~10、10~25、25~40 cm）钻取土样。结果表明,在研究海拔范围内土壤垂直剖面自表层向下有机碳质量分数分别为（35.71±13.32）、（29.18±12.85）和（26.39±12.74） g＆#183; kg-1,全氮质量分数分别为（2.83±0.93）、（2.38±0.84）和（2.12±0.80） g＆#183; kg-1。土壤有机碳和全氮含量的分布特征均表现为随海拔升高而增加的趋势,与海拔呈极显著的线性正相关。土壤有机碳含量与海拔线性模型的回归系数在10~25 cm土层最大,而全氮与海拔线性模型的回归系数随土层深度增加而递减。土壤有机碳含量最高值出现在较高海拔处寒温性针叶林下,而土壤全氮含量最高值出现在最高海拔的亚高山草甸。碳氮含量的剖面分布呈现为表层（0~10 cm）最高,随深度下降而递减。研究区土壤C/N值介于5~19,最小值为海拔最高（2756.3 m）的亚高山草甸,而最大值为较高海拔分布的寒温性针叶林（2332.6 m）,沿海拔梯度表现呈“Λ”型的变化趋势。     

庆阳市庆城县退耕还林区土壤纤毛虫群落特征

为研究土壤纤毛虫群落对不同退耕模式生态恢复的响应及利用其群落特征来评价退还效果,采用“非淹没培养皿法”、活体观察法和培养直接计数法对甘肃省庆阳市庆城县退耕10年后的多树种混交林(APR)和单一树种经济林(A)以及两个农田对照样地(CK1和CK2)的土壤纤毛虫群落特征进行定性定量研究,同时测定各样地土壤温度、含水量、pH值、电导率、土壤孔隙度、有机质、总氮、总磷、总钾、速效氮、速效磷和速效钾含量,并分析不同退耕还模式下土壤纤毛虫群落特征参数与土壤理化因子间的相关关系。结果为:共鉴定到土壤纤毛虫127种,隶属10纲21目34科52属;退耕样地与农田对照样地土壤纤毛虫物种分布存在明显差异,退耕样地间的物种相似性减小,群落组成复杂化,纤毛虫密度、多样性指数和丰富度指数均显著高于对照(P<0.05),其中混交林物种多样性最高;土壤纤毛虫优势类群由农田样地的肾形目(Colpodida)逐渐过渡为退耕样地的散毛目(Sporadotrichida);相关性分析可知,有机质、总氮、孔隙度和pH是影响土壤纤毛虫群落组成的关键因子,不同退耕模式下土壤纤毛虫群落组成差异较大,表明土壤纤毛虫群落对该地区退耕还林生态恢复工程发生了积极的响应,因此土壤纤毛虫群落特征参数可以作为评价退还效果的重要指标。     

Aboveground and belowground effects of single-tree removals in New Zealand rain forest

There has been considerable recent interest in how human-induced species loss affects community and ecosystem properties. These effects are particularly apparent when a commercially valuable species is harvested from an ecosystem, such as occurs through single-tree harvesting or selective logging of desired timber species in natural forests. In New Zealand mixed-species rain forests, single-tree harvesting of the emergent gymnosperm Dacrydium cupressinum, or rimu, has been widespread. This harvesting has been contentious in part because of possible ecological impacts of Dacrydium removal on the remainder of the forest, but many of these effects remain unexplored. We identified an area where an unintended 40-year "removal experiment" had been set up that involved selective extraction of individual Dacrydium trees. We measured aboveground and belowground variables at set distances from both individual live trees and stumps of trees harvested 40 years ago. Live trees had effects both above and below ground by affecting diversity and cover of several components of the vegetation (usually negatively), promoting soil C sequestration, enhancing ratios of soil C:P and N:P, and affecting community structure of soil microflora. These effects extended to 8 m from the tree base and were likely caused by poor-quality litter and humus produced by the trees. Measurements for the stumps revealed strong legacy effects of prior presence of trees on some properties (e.g., cover by understory herbs and ferns, soil C sequestration, soil C:P and N:P ratios), but not others (e.g., soil fungal biomass, soil N concentration). These results suggest that the legacy of prior presence of Dacrydium may remain for several decades or centuries, and certainly well over 40 years. They also demonstrate that, while large Dacrydium individuals (and their removal) may have important effects in their immediate proximity, within a forest, these effects should only be important in localized patches containing high densities of large trees. Finally, this study emphasizes that deliberate extraction of a particular tree species from a forest can exert influences both above and below ground if the removed species has a different functional role than that of the other plant species present.     

贺兰山东坡典型植物群落土壤微生物量碳、氮沿海拔梯度的变化特征

土壤微生物量是陆地生态系统碳循环的重要组成部分,在生态系统物质循环和能量转化中占有特别重要的地位。开展土壤微生物量与海拔高度的关系的研究,能促使人们对土壤微生物空间分布格局及其形成机制的认识,预测全球变化对生态系统功能的影响。本文对贺兰山不同海拔梯度具有代表性的荒漠化草原（HM）、蒙古扁桃灌丛（BT）、油松林（YS）、青海云杉林（QH）和高山草甸（CD）等5种植物群落土壤微生物生物量及其微生物商进行了研究。结果表明：表层土壤（0～20 cm）微生物生物量碳（MBC）、氮（MBN）大小次序为：CD〉QH〉YS〉BT〉HM,MBC、MBN随海拔梯度的升高显著增加,与土壤有机碳、氮含量有着一致的变化规律,但是微生物商（qMB）表现出沿海拔梯度先增加后减小的变化趋势,最大值出现在蒙古扁桃灌丛土壤,MBC/MBN则没有明显的变化规律。相关分析表明,不同海拔高度的土壤微生物量碳氮不仅与年均降水量、土壤含水量,而且与土壤有机碳、全氮呈显著线性正相关关系（P〈0.01）,但是与年均气温、土壤容重呈显著线性负相关关系（P〈0.01）。贺兰山土壤微生物量碳、氮随海拔高度升高而增加,降水量、气温、土壤湿度、土壤有机碳和全氮可能是影响土壤微生物量沿海拔梯度变化的关键因子。     

Urban forest landscape patterns in Ma'anshan City,China

The landscape pattern of Ma'anshan City was analyzed based on theories and methodologies of landscape ecology, remote sensing, global positioning, and a geographic information system (GIS). The study area encompassed the entire built-up area of 63.88 km²; a north–south transect 3-km wide and 13-km long was established along the long axis of the city. Five major landscape elements were assessed: urban land, urban forest, agriculture, water, and grass. Urban land was the dominant land cover type, and occupied 67% of total land area; while patches of urban forest occupied 16%, with a landscape element dominance of 0.42. Urban forest was classified according to land-use category and location into six types: scenic forest, yard forest, recreational forest, roadside forest, shelter forest, and nurseries. There were 2464 urban forest patches, the largest being 185.1 ha, with an average of 0.43 ha. The low nearest neighbor index and high patch density indicated that urban forest patches tend to be aggregated and have a high degree of fragmentation. This study also demonstrated that the spatial pattern of urbanization could be quantified using a combination of landscape metrics and gradient analysis. Urban forest has distinct spatial characters that are dependent on specific landscape metrics along the urbanization gradient.     

Conservation in a Region of Political Instability: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

Abstract: Bwindi Impenetrable is the most important forest in Uganda for conservation of biodiversity. It contains over half the world's mountain gorillas. It is surrounded by densely populated agricultural land and lies within a region of political instability. Gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932, little forest now remains outside its boundaries. Transformation of nearby communal swampland to farmland, much owned by a few individuals, shows the probable fate of Bwindi if it had not been declared a protected area. Widespread illegal logging and other activities were among reasons why the status of the forest was raised to national park in 1991. This resulted in local resentment, fed by inadequate consultation and concern about the local people's loss of access to resources. Fires were set in the forest and threats made against the gorillas. Three schemes to provide benefits from the existence of the forest to communities and involve them in park management were then instituted: agreements allowing controlled harvesting of resources in the park, receipt of some revenue from tourism, and establishment of a trust fund partly for community development. Tension between people and park has been reduced. This case demonstrates the importance of protected areas and community involvement in such circumstances. Community support is especially critical, as here, when resources available to park managers are limited and political instability endemic.     

Ontogeny of provisioning in two populations of wild golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia)

Provisioning weaned young is an important part of the cooperative rearing system of marmosets and tamarins (family: Callitrichidae). Juvenile callitrichids receive a substantial proportion of their diet from all adult group members, whereas juveniles of most other primate species only receive food from the mother infrequently via scrounging. We conducted a longitudinal study of provisioning to 21 young wild golden lion tamarins through their first year of life in two Brazilian reserves. Juveniles were predicted to experience higher provisioning rates at the site with mature forest (the presumed ancestral habitat) and in territories that contained a higher proportion of preferred habitat within the mature forest reserve. Key measures of provisioning did not differ substantially between habitat types. The rates at which juveniles begged for food were very similar across habitats, while the influence of habitat on the rates at which juveniles received food was small and varied across age groups. The most pronounced differences between the reserves were: adult resistance to food-transfer attempts was less frequent, food-offering calls before food transfer were more frequent, and the proportion of prey provisioned was higher in the reserve in which earlier successional-stage forest predominated. Within the mature forest reserve, begging success of young juveniles covaried positively with preferred habitat. Rather than overt caretaker–offspring conflict, an information–feedback loop between juveniles and adults appears to drive provisioning changes as juveniles mature. Direct measures of resource abundance are needed to help clarify the mechanisms by which forest successional stage influences provisioning.     

Recovery of Soil Macrofauna Communities after Forest Clearance in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil

Abstract:  As primary forest is cleared, pastures and secondary forest occupy an increasing space in the Amazonian landscape. We evaluated the effect of forest clearing on a soil macrofauna (invertebrate) community in a smallholder farming system of southeastern Amazonia. We sampled the soil macrofauna in 22 plots of forest, upland rice fields, pastures, and fallows of different ages. In total, we collected 10,728 invertebrates. In cleared plots the species richness per plot of the soil macrofauna fell from 76 to 30 species per plot immediately after forest clearance, and the composition of the new community was different. Ants, termites, and spiders were most affected by the disturbance. In plots deforested several years before, the effect of forest clearance was highly dependent on the type of land use (pasture or fallow). In fallows, the community was similar to the initial state. The species richness per plot in old fallows rose to 66, and the composition was closer to the primary forests than to the other types of land use. On the contrary, in the pastures the species richness per plot remained low at 47. In fallows, all the groups showed a richness close to that in primary forest, whereas in the forest only the richness of earthworms and Coleoptera recovered. Our results show that forest clearing constitutes a major disturbance for the soil macrofauna and that the recovery potential of the soil macrofauna after 6 or 7 years is much higher in fallows than in pastures. Thus, fallows may play a crucial role in the conservation of soil macrofauna.     

井冈山森林碳储量与LAI和材积的相关性

建立林木生物量模型是估算森林生物量的重要方法之一,叶面积指数（Leaf Area Index,简称LAI）和材积与林木密切相关,是否可通过建立森林生物量与LAI或材积的相关模型来估算森林生物量,进而估算森林碳储量,值得探索。以井冈山自然保护区两种典型森林类型（常绿阔叶林和人工杉木林）为研究对象,分乔木层、植被层和总体（植被层＋土壤层）3部分分别计算碳密度,并对它们与叶面积指数LAI和材积之间的相关性进行分析。结果表明：常绿阔叶林总体碳密度为38．915kg／m^2,高于人工杉木林的27．460kg／m^2;两种森林类型乔木层和植被层碳密度与材积具有很好的相关性（R^2〉0．97）,在与LAI的相关性分析中,人工杉木林乔木层和植被层碳密度与LAI相关系数达到0．7以上,相关关系显著,而常绿阔叶林各层碳密度与LAI的相关性不明显;在森林总体碳密度与LAI和材积的相关性分析中发现,只有常绿阔叶林总体碳密度与材积的R^2为0．7116,达到显著水平,其它相关性水平均不显著。因此,利用材积与生物量和碳储量的相关关系来推算井冈山森林生物量和碳储量的方法是可行的,通过叶面积指数来推算森林生物量和碳储量的方法还有待进一步研究探讨。     

Designing the Masoala National Park in Madagascar Based on Biological and Socioeconomic Data

Abstract: Conservation biologists have developed powerful tools for reserve selection and design over the past two decades, yet seldom are protected areas actually designed on scientific grounds. Using fundamental biological and socioeconomic principles of conservation science, we designed a new protected area and its multiple-use zone on the Masoala Peninsula in the humid forest zone of Madagascar. The explicit design criteria determined the data gathered for the work, which included (1) spatial distribution and quality of habitat, (2) the areas and species at greatest risk, (3) the relationship between environmental gradients and species distributions, (4) current and predicted human settlement and land and resource use, and (5) the economic potential of natural forest management as an alternative to deforestation. We used a geographic information system to integrate these data layers and applied the design criteria to develop a park proposal that balanced human and wildlife needs. The proposal won the approval of local residents, and a national decree in 1997 designated 2100 km² of rainforest and three satellite marine reserves as the Masoala National Park, with a surrounding multiple-use zone of approximately 1000 km². The new park is Madagascar's largest protected area and protects more lowland (<400 m) humid forest habitat than the entire reserve system combined, a significant step forward in conserving a globally important ecoregion. Consideration of local needs and the national economy was a key element in gaining approval for the Masoala Park. Such an approach toward reserve design could be applied elsewhere to improve chances of establishing and maintaining protected areas over the long term.     

大兴安岭火烧迹地土壤动物的群落多样行

以大兴安岭地区不同年份火烧迹地土壤动物为研究对象,对火烧后不同恢复时间土壤动物群落多样性及相关指数的变化进行分析.结果表明,大型土壤动物的个体数、DIC指数、丰富度指数及优势度指数变化趋势均表现为火烧恢复初期迅速增加,然后缓慢增加并逐渐接近对比样地值;如果不考虑8 a迹地数据极大值的影响,中小型土壤动物的个体数、DIC指数、丰富度指数及优势度指数也大致呈现火烧恢复初期迅速增加,然后缓慢增长的趋势;在垂直方向上,大型土壤动物DIC指数、个体数及丰富度指数在0～5 cm最大,向上、向下减少,而中小型土壤动物的各项指数都是凋落物层最大,向下迅速减小;相关分析表明,大型和中小型土壤动物的个体数和丰富度指数与DIC指数都具有极高的相关性;群落相似性分析显示,各火烧迹地间土壤动物群落具有较高的相似性.图1表3参26     

The spatial pattern of nitrogen cycling in the Adirondack Park, New York

Maps of canopy nitrogen obtained through analysis of high-resolution, hyperspectral, remotely sensed images now offer a powerful means to make landscape-scale to regional-scale estimates of forest N cycling and net primary production (NPP). Moreover, recent research has suggested that the spatial variability within maps of canopy N may be driven by environmental gradients in such features as historic forest disturbance, temperature, species composition, moisture, geology, and atmospheric N deposition. Using the wide variation in these six features found within the diverse forest ecosystems of the 2.5 million ha Adirondack Park, New York, USA, we examined linkages among environmental gradients and three measures of N cycling collected during the 2003 growing season: (1) field survey of canopy N, (2) field survey of soil C:N, and (3) canopy N measured through analysis of two 185 x 7.5 km Hyperion hyperspectral images. These three measures of N cycling strongly related to forest type but related poorly to all other environmental gradients. Further analysis revealed that the spatial pattern in N cycling appears to have distinct inter- and intraspecific components of variability. The interspecific component, or the proportional contribution of species functional traits to canopy biomass, explained 93% of spatial variability within the field canopy N survey and 37% of variability within the soil C:N survey. Residual analysis revealed that N deposition accounted for an additional 2% of variability in soil C:N, and N deposition and historical forest disturbance accounted for an additional 2.8% of variability in canopy N. Given our finding that 95.8% of the variability in the field canopy N survey could be attributed to variation in the physical environment, our research suggests that remotely sensed maps of canopy N may be useful not only to assess the spatial variability in N cycling and NPP, but also to unravel the relative importance of their multiple controlling factors.     

Agricultural legacies in forest environments: tree communities, soil properties, and light availability.

Temperate deciduous forests across much of Europe and eastern North America reflect legacies of past land use, particularly in the diversity and composition of plant communities. Intense disturbances, such as clearing forests for agriculture, may cause persistent environmental changes that continue to shape vegetation patterns as landscapes recover. We assessed the long-term consequences of agriculture for environmental conditions in central New York forests, including tree community structure and composition, soil physical and chemical properties, and light availability. To isolate the effects of agriculture, we compared 20 adjacent pairs of forests that were never cleared for agriculture (primary forests) and forests that established 85-100 years ago on plowed fields (secondary forests). Tree communities in primary and secondary forests had similar stem density, though secondary forests had 14% greater basal area. Species composition differed dramatically between the two forest types, with primary forests dominated by Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia and secondary forests by Acer rubrum and Pinus strobus. Primary and secondary forests showed no consistent differences in soil physical properties or in the principal gradient of soil fertility associated with soil pH. Within stands, however, soil water content and pH were more variable in primary forests. Secondary forest soils had 15% less organic matter, 16% less total carbon, and 29% less extractable phosphorus in the top 10 cm than adjacent primary stands, though the ranges of the forest types mostly overlapped. Understory light availability in primary and secondary forests was similar. These results suggest that, within 100 years, post-agricultural stands have recovered conditions comparable to less disturbed forests in many attributes, including tree size and number, soil physical properties, soil chemical properties associated with pH, and understory light availability. The principal legacies of agriculture that remain in these forests are the reduced levels of soil organic matter, carbon, and phosphorus; the spatial homogenization of soil properties; and the altered species composition of the vegetation.     

Constrained additive ordination

For several decades now, ecologists have sought to determine the shape of species' response curves and how they are distributed along unknown underlying gradients, environmental latent variables, or ordination axes. Its determination has important implications for both continuum theory and community analysis because many theories and models in community ecology assume that responses are symmetric and unimodal. This article proposes a major new technique called constrained additive ordination (CAO) that solves this problem by computing the optimal gradients and flexible response curves. It allows ecologists to see the response curves as they really are, against the dominant gradients. With one gradient, CAO is a generalization of constrained quadratic ordination (CQO; formerly called canonical Gaussian ordination or CGO). It supplants symmetric bell-shaped response curves in CQO with completely flexible smooth curves. The curves are estimated using smoothers such as the smoothing spline. Loosely speaking, CAO models are generalized additive models (GAMs) fitted to a very small number of latent variables. Being data driven rather than model driven, CAO allows the data to "speak for itself" and does not make any of the assumptions made by canonical correspondence analysis. The new methodology is illustrated with a hunting spider data set and a New Zealand tree species data set.     

Assessment of traditional rights,local interference and natural resource management in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

An assessment of human interference in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) showed huge dependence of local communities on forest fringes. KWLS is under active consideration as a national park because of its unique flora and fauna. Studies have evidenced habitat destruction and successional changes in the area because of ongoing unsustainable harvesting and logging. The present study provides an integrated approach towards evaluating resource extraction and management of the sanctuary. The study was based on in-depth semi-structured interviews and group discussions with local inhabitants of six villages and with forest officials. In addition, regeneration patterns and vegetation analysis was conducted in three land tenurial systems: community forest (CF), reserve forest (RF) and protected forest (PF). Key issues identified were wildlife offences, encroachment, pressure from unsustainable harvesting of resources and lack of livelihood opportunities. Ecological studies showed continuous change in regeneration patterns in forest patches/stands. The local survey stressed managing sanctuary fringes considering the village economy, social issues and resource requirements, and enhancing on-farm resource production to reduce pressure on forests. Forest personnel demanded more training on encroachment and poaching, these being major threats to biodiversity and bio-resources. Supporting and providing better livelihood opportunities is a viable option for minimizing pressure and managing biodiversity of the area through active community participation. This study generated useful outcomes and strategies for advancing policies to reduce pressure and overcome management constraints in the sanctuary.     

Community participation in the management of forest reserves in the Northern Region of Ghana

The 1994 forest and wildlife policy of Ghana provides the basis for community participation in forest management through participatory forest management. Even though forest reserves in the Northern Region are said to be managed collaboratively, fringe communities are supposedly involved only in maintenance activities of the reserve boundaries and seedling planting in plantation programmes. The forest reserves are said to be threatened by illegal activities from the fringe communities. This study therefore examined the nature of community participation in the management of forest reserves.

It is a mixed method research in which structured interview schedule, in-depth interview and focus group discussion guides were used for data collection. Respondents comprised community members, forestry staff and NGOs. Communities’ participation was found to be passive and tokenistic and limited to boundary cleaning and providing labour on plantations. There is no formal collaboration between communities and Forest Services Division. Prospects to communities’ participation lie in the continuous flow of benefits and their active involvement in management decisions. Active involvement of communities in all decision-making processes, capacity building of communities and forestry staff, incentive schemes and awareness creation are recommended for promoting community participation in managing forest reserves in Northern Region.     

Terrestrial liming benefits birds in an acidified forest in the northeast

Studies in Europe have reported negative effects of acid deposition on forest birds, and research in North America has identified links between forest bird abundance and rates of acid deposition. We examined the bird community in an acidified forest in central Pennsylvania (USA) and evaluated the effects of terrestrial lime application on birds. We used a before-after control-impact (BACI) study design, with one year of observation before (2003) and three years after lime application (2004, 2005, and 2006). Between the 2003 and 2004 field seasons, 4500 kg/ha of dolomitic lime were applied to two of four 100-ha watersheds. Each year, we monitored bird abundance and Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) eggshell thickness and territory size. Soil and snail abundance data were also collected. The bird community and territory size results indicated that the study area may be providing low-quality habitat for forest birds, perhaps as a result of acid deposition. We found lower forest bird abundances than have been found in less acidified areas of Pennsylvania, and larger Ovenbird territory sizes than have been found in other studies. We found a significant positive relationship between soil calcium and bird abundance, indicating that soil calcium may affect bird abundance. Liming increased soil calcium and pH and led to increased snail and bird abundances. After liming, bird abundance was positively related to snail abundance. No significant changes occurred in Ovenbird territory size or eggshell thickness. Our results suggest that acid deposition could be responsible for reduced bird abundance, and that liming is a potential mitigation technique.