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Recovery and resilience of tropical forests after disturbance

Author

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  • Lydia E. S. Cole

    (Oxford Long-term Ecology Laboratory, University of Oxford
    Biodiversity Institute, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford)

  • Shonil A. Bhagwat

    (Oxford Long-term Ecology Laboratory, University of Oxford
    Biodiversity Institute, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
    Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall)

  • Katherine J. Willis

    (Oxford Long-term Ecology Laboratory, University of Oxford
    Biodiversity Institute, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
    University of Bergen
    Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Richmond)

Abstract

The time taken for forested tropical ecosystems to re-establish post-disturbance is of widespread interest. Yet to date there has been no comparative study across tropical biomes to determine rates of forest re-growth, and how they vary through space and time. Here we present results from a meta-analysis of palaeoecological records that use fossil pollen as a proxy for vegetation change over the past 20,000 years. A total of 283 forest disturbance and recovery events, reported in 71 studies, are identified across four tropical regions. Results indicate that forests in Central America and Africa generally recover faster from past disturbances than those in South America and Asia, as do forests exposed to natural large infrequent disturbances compared with post-climatic and human impacts. Results also demonstrate that increasing frequency of disturbance events at a site through time elevates recovery rates, indicating a degree of resilience in forests exposed to recurrent past disturbance.

Suggested Citation

  • Lydia E. S. Cole & Shonil A. Bhagwat & Katherine J. Willis, 2014. "Recovery and resilience of tropical forests after disturbance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4906
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4906
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    Cited by:

    1. Mullan, Katrina & Caviglia-Harris, Jill L. & Sills, Erin O., 2021. "Sustainability of agricultural production following deforestation in the tropics: Evidence on the value of newly-deforested, long-deforested and forested land in the Brazilian Amazon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    2. Paula Meli & Karen D Holl & José María Rey Benayas & Holly P Jones & Peter C Jones & Daniel Montoya & David Moreno Mateos, 2017. "A global review of past land use, climate, and active vs. passive restoration effects on forest recovery," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Jeferson Asprilla-Perea & José M. Díaz-Puente, 2019. "Importance of wild foods to household food security in tropical forest areas," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(1), pages 15-22, February.
    4. Joungyoon Chun & Choong-Ki Kim & Wanmo Kang & Hyemin Park & Gieun Kim & Woo-Kyun Lee, 2019. "Sustainable Management of Carbon Sequestration Service in Areas with High Development Pressure: Considering Land Use Changes and Carbon Costs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.

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