Sustainability of industrial forest plantations and indigenous land rights in the Philippines : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning at Massey University

In the Philippines, forest management two decades ago was mainly aimed at addressing the need for economic growth. There was low priority accorded to the long-term sustainability and inherent environmental functions of the country's forests as well as social equity issues over the use of these resources. Sustainable development and the management of forest resources during that time was nothing more than just a concept used by academicians, ecologists, and forestry professionals. Forest management also ignored the concerns and interests of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people. It was not until the late 70s and early 80s when the effects of deforestation and rapid depletion of forest resources impacted on the country's economic, social, and environmental wellbeing, did the country realise the need to sustainably manage these resources. The need to consider the economic and social wellbeing of the forest dwellers particularly the indigenous people, also started to be recognised. The growing consciousness on the need to balance development with environmental protection, and the inherent need to sustain the flow of benefits from the country's forest resources, has become the main rationale in developing sustainable forest management policies. The primary vision was to adopt forest management policies that can help ensure that various benefits that can be derived from the forests would cater to the needs of the greatest number of Filipinos in the longest period of time without compromising the environment. The development of industrial forest plantations has been one of the major forest management strategies designed in support of such vision in the management of the country's forest resources. This study was undertaken to provide an understanding of industrial forest plantations as a forest management strategy in the Philippines and how it impacts on indigenous people and local communities. Using a qualitative research approach, case studies of three industrial forest plantations were analysed to investigate the impact of industrial forest plantations on indigenous people and local communities. The case studies were also used to examine the degree to which industrial forest plantations have been achieving economic, social, and environmental objectives by identifying and examining the factors that may enhance or hamper its sustainability as a forest development strategy. This study concluded that there is a growing role for industrial forest plantations in the sustainable management of forest resources in the Philippines. This role derives from the need to develop alternative sources of timber to the rapidly depleting sources from the natural forests, bringing socio-economic development in the upland areas in the country, and promoting environmental rehabilitation. As a forest management strategy, industrial forest plantations can promote social equity by recognising the rights of indigenous people over their land and the use of resources therein and by encouraging local community participation in the development process, which in a way helps strengthen local institutions. It was shown in this study that the integration and definition of property rights of indigenous people in any upland development programme is a critical factor that seriously affects the success and sustainability of any forest management strategy. The success of any forestry programme can only be achieved if supported by effective institutional and policy framework. Finally, it was concluded that industrial forest plantations could only be sustainable if as a policy strategy, it has been designed to consider the "bottom up" perspective where local needs, community values, and indigenous rights are consistent with the overall national goals of sustainable development

Effect of oil palm sustainability certification on deforestation and fire in Indonesia.

Many major corporations and countries have made commitments to purchase or produce only "sustainable" palm oil, a commodity responsible for substantial tropical forest loss. Sustainability certification is the tool most used to fulfill these procurement policies, and around 20% of global palm oil production was certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2017. However, the effect of certification on deforestation in oil palm plantations remains unclear. Here, we use a comprehensive dataset of RSPO-certified and noncertified oil palm plantations (∼188,000 km2) in Indonesia, the leading producer of palm oil, as well as annual remotely sensed metrics of tree cover loss and fire occurrence, to evaluate the impact of certification on deforestation and fire from 2001 to 2015. While forest loss and fire continued after RSPO certification, certified palm oil was associated with reduced deforestation. Certification lowered deforestation by 33% from a counterfactual of 9.8 to 6.6% y-1 Nevertheless, most plantations contained little residual forest when they received certification. As a result, by 2015, certified areas held less than 1% of forests remaining within Indonesian oil palm plantations. Moreover, certification had no causal impact on forest loss in peatlands or active fire detection rates. Broader adoption of certification in forested regions, strict requirements to avoid all peat, and routine monitoring of clearly defined forest cover loss in certified and RSPO member-held plantations appear necessary if the RSPO is to yield conservation and climate benefits from reductions in tropical deforestation

Invasive plant species in the forest parks of Yekaterinburg

Invasive species-introduced species, spontaneously settled outside their natural range, and successfully adapted to the new growing conditions. The problem of invasive species penetration, both herbaceous and woody, has long been a concern of scientists, their views on this issue being contradictory. In the forest parks of Yekaterinburg there is a significant number of introduced species-invasive species. The occurrence of invasive species was considered in three forest parks of the city. The article shows invasive species high occurrence, wide amplitude of ecological plasticity, lack of response to shade density conditions in forest parks and urban plantations. They easily adapt to the conditions of different shade density and increased recreational load, both in urban areas plantations and in the conditions of a forest park. The studied species can be recommended for use in urban parks and forest parks. Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. and Amelanchier spicata (Lam.) K. Koch. are quite decorative and can be used both in the formation of edges, landscape groups and as undergrowth species. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved

Arthropod Diversity in Lama Forest Reserve (South Benin), a Mosaic of Natural, Degraded and Plantation Forests

Arthropod assemblages were examined in Lama forest reserve, a protected area situated in the Dahomey gap, southern Benin, composed of plantations, degraded forest and remnants of natural forest. The objectives were to compare assemblages in relation to forest type and use, to elucidate the value of forest plantations for biodiversity conservation and to identify indicator species for specific forest habitats. Arthropods were collected over an 11-month period, using standardized sets of traps (pitfall, emergence, Malaise and flight intercept traps). Nine different habitats were studied, including natural and degraded forest, forest plantations (Tectona grandis and Senna siamea) of different age, and isolated forest fragments. Our analysis focused on detritivorous and xylophagous arthropods but also included ground beetles and heteropterans, totalling 393 species. We found no differences in species richness among natural and degraded forest habitats in the centre of the reserve (Noyau central). Outside of the Noyau central, species richness was highest in old teak plantations and isolated forest fragments and lowest in young teak and fuelwood plantations. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) separated three main groups: (1) natural forest, (2) degraded forest and young plantations, and (3) old plantations and isolated forest fragments. Multiple regression of DCA scores of the first two axes on environmental variables identified one natural and three disturbance-related predictors of arthropod assemblages in Lama forest: soil type (texture), canopy height, naturalness (proportion of Guineo-Congolian plant species) and understorey vegetation cover. We identified 15 indicator species for six different forest habitats. The highest numbers were found in abandoned settlements and old teak plantations. β-diversity was similar among the three DCA ordination groups (degraded forest excluded). Values for β-diversity were relatively high, suggesting that all major forest habitats contribute significantly to regional species pools and should therefore be protected. To enhance arthropod diversity, we propose that management practices in Lama forest should aim to encourage the development of species-rich understorey vegetation of the Guineo-Congolian phytogeographical regio

How do diversity and functional nestedness of bird communities respond to changes in the landscape caused by eucalyptus plantations?

Studies of functional diversity can help to understand processes that determine the presence of species in different habitats. Measurement of functional diversity in silviculture areas is important because different functional traits can show different responses to this landscape alteration, and therefore ecological functions can be affected. This study evaluated functional and taxonomic differences in bird assemblages in a native forest and eucalyptus plantations, and also assessed the functional nestedness of the bird species. We censused birds in eucalyptus plantations of four different ages, and also in a native forest. The results showed higher functional and taxonomic diversity of birds in the native forest than in plantations and higher similarity of functional traits between plantations of different ages. The high functional diversity in the native forest indicates a greater variety of functional traits, resulting in greater functional complementarity than in plantations. The association of some traits with the native forest, such as nectarivory and foraging in air, indicates the importance of native habitats in maintaining species and functions related to such traits. Already, species traits in eucalyptus plantations represent a subset of those that were recorded in the native forest, indicating that some functions are maintained in plantations. Our results demonstrate that the species occurrence in the plantations and native forest is determined by species traits. Thus, the maintenance of some functions in plantations is provided, although there is a higher functional diversity in native forest

Ground beetle assemblages in Beijing’s new mountain forests

Mature forests have been almost completely destroyed in China’s northern regions, but this has been followed by large-scale reforestation in the wake of environmental degradation. Although future forest plantations are expected to expand over millions of hectares, knowledge about the ecology and biodiversity of China’s replanted forests remains very limited. Addressing these knowledge gaps, we recorded ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities in five secondary forest types: plantations of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) and Prince Rupprecht’s Larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii), Oak (Quercus wutaishanica) and Asian White Birch (Betula platyphylla) woodlands, and naturally regenerated mixed forest. Species richness peaked in mixed forests, while pine and oak woodlands harboured discrete communities of intermediate species richness. Oak, pine and mixed forest habitats also showed high levels of species turnover between plots. Canopy closure was an important factor influencing ground beetle assemblages and diversity, and a number of forest specialist species only occurred in pine or oak forests. We believe that some forest specialists have survived earlier deforestation and appear to be supported by new plantation forests, but maintenance of secondary native oak and mixed forests is crucial to safeguard the overall species pool