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INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY AND REHABILITATING DEGRADED HABITATS
In reducing the loss of tropical rainforests, we must not only be concerned with the transformation of existing
natural ecosystems, but also with the more rational utilization of already cleared and degraded areas. To lessen future
forest loss we must increase and sustain the productivity of farms, pastures, plantations, and scrub land in addition
to restoring species and ecosystems to degraded habitats. By reducing wasteful land-use practices, consolidating
gains on existing cleared lands, and improving already developed lands we can diminish the need to clear additional
rainforest.
INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY
Increasing productivity of cleared rainforest lands is possible using improved technology to generate higher yielding
crops. Taking advantage of improved germ plasm developed through careful selection can produce grasses and crops
that will grow on degraded forest soils. While technology may have accelerated the development and impoverishment
of tropical rainforests, it will be one of the keys to saving them.
Bioengineering Backlash
HABITAT AND SPECIES REHABILITATION
There is still time to save some of the most threatened species and ecosystems that have been pushed so close to
extinction that they will perish unless we intervene. We can make a positive difference in preserving a species
that mankind has practically destroyed. One of the most heart-warming examples is the story of the Mauritius kestrel. However,
saving a single species takes incredible time and resources and can hardly be a practical solution. Instead the
concentration must be on saving and restoring entire ecosystems.
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Birds and bats may help restore tropical forests September 27, 2005
Scientists believe they may have found a way to regrow tropical forest on deforested lands. The plan would involve planting fast-growing, fruit-producing trees, like figs, in the formerly forested areas. These trees would attract birds and bats which would deposit seeds from nearby forests onto the ground below. The dropping of these seeds would, in effect, return native forest species to the deforested patch. Scientists will test the theory in Veracruz, Mexico, to see if coaxing birds and bats back into the area will help restore the forest's biodiversity.
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The restoration of entire ecosystems is most possible in regions where parts or at least remnants of the original
forest still remain and there are few human population pressures. Small clearings surrounded by forest recover
quickly and large sections may recover in time, especially if we provide some assistance in the reforestation process.
After several years, a once-barren field can again support vegetation in the form of pioneer species and secondary
growth. Although the secondary forest will be low in diversity and poorly developed, the forest cover will be adequate
for some species to return (assuming they still exist). In addition, the newly forested patch can be used for the
sustainable harvest of forest products and low-intensity logging.
Tracts of replanted forest may have ecological returns in addition to economic ones. In the short term, forests
absorb large amounts of atmospheric carbon and the more trees that are replanted, the more atmospheric carbon will
be sequestered. Replanting and rehabilitating secondary forests around the world has tremendous potential for offsetting
greenhouse-gas emissions. One such project, known as INFAPRO, has been established in Malaysia in a cooperative
venture between the FACE Foundation (Forest Absorbing Carbon Emissions) and the Innoprise Corporation. The objective
of the project is to rehabilitate 61,000 acres (25,000 ha) of logged rainforest over 25 years using dipterocarps,
forest fruit, and pioneer trees. The project uses the technique of enrichment planting where seedlings are planted
in the understory of degraded forest and given preferential treatment to ensure growth. The FACE Foundation, a
Dutch firm (from a nation which stands to lose much if global warming causes a sea-level rise) has similar projects
in Uganda and Ecuador.
Review questions:
- Why is increasing productivity on deforested lands important for rainforest conservation?
- How do birds and bats help in habitat rainforest regeneration?
[full photo version]
Continued: Saving What Rainforest Remains
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