Loss in species caused by tropical deforestation and their recovery through management

Ariel Lugo; John A. Parrotta; Sandra Brown

Treesearch

Loss in species caused by tropical deforestation and their recovery through management

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Ariel Lugo, John A. Parrotta, Sandra Brown

Year:

1993

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Source:

Ambio

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Abstract

The loss of species as a result of deforestation and degradation of tropical forest lands is widely discussed. Models based on island biogeography theory are used to evaluate the relationship between extinctions of species and deforestation. The analysis shows that natural resiliency causes the models to overestimate the rates of species extinctions for given intensities of deforestation. There is an opportunity to couple natural processes with management activities to reduce species extinctions and restore species richness to degraded lands. As an example we show how tropical monoculture tree plantations can foster diverse native forests in areas previously deforested. The central point is that well-directed human actions provide us with the means to conserve biodiversity and restore it in locations previously degraded.

Keywords

biodiversity, tropical deforestation, restoration

Citation

Lugo, Ariel E.; Parrotta, John A.; Brown, Sandra. 1993. Loss in species caused by tropical deforestation and their recovery through management. Ambio 22(2-3): 106-109.