[graffis-l PRIMARY RAIN FOREST IS IRREPLACABLE

[Guest guest]

Primary Rain Forest Is Irreplaceable

 

 

Posted by: " Mark Graffis "

mgraffis

mgraffis

 

 

Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:47 am (PST)

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Primary_Rain_Forest_Is_Irreplaceable_999.html

Primary Rain Forest Is Irreplaceable

Over an area larger than Wales, the UEA and museum researchers

surveyed five primary rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary

forest and five areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees

(Eucalyptus), to evaluate patterns of biodiversity. by Staff Writers

East Anglia, UK (SPX) Nov 16, 2007

As world leaders prepare to discuss conservation-friendly carbon

credits in Bali and a regional initiative threatens a new wave of

deforestation in the South American tropics, new research from the

University of East Anglia and Brazil's Goeldi Museum highlights once

again the irreplaceable importance of primary rain forest. Working in the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon the international team

of scientists undertook the single-largest assessment of the biodiversity

conservation value of primary, secondary and plantation forests ever

conducted in the humid tropics. The study was partly funded by the UK

Government's Darwin Initiative and their findings are reported in the

latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

(PNAS).

Over an area larger than Wales, the UEA and museum researchers

surveyed five primary rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary

forest and five areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees

(Eucalyptus), to evaluate patterns of biodiversity.

Following an intensive effort of more than 20,000 scientist hours in

the field and laboratory, they collected data on the distribution of 15

different groups of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) and woody

plants, including well-studied groups such as monkeys, butterflies and

amphibians and also more obscure species such as fruit flies, orchid bees

and grasshoppers.

" We know that different species often exhibit different

responses to deforestation and so we sought to understand the

consequences of land-use change for as many species as possible, "

said Dr Jos Barlow, a former post-doctoral researcher at UEA.

At least a quarter of all species were never found outside native

primary forest habitat - and the team acknowledges that this is an

underestimate. " Our study should be seen as a best-case scenario, as

all our forests were relatively close to large areas of primary forests,

providing ample sources for recolonisation, " said Dr Barlow.

" Many plantations and regenerating forests along the

deforestation frontiers in South America and south-east Asia are much

further from primary forests, and wildlife may be unable to recolonise in

these areas.

" Furthermore, the percentage of species restricted to primary

forest habitat was much higher (40-60%) for groups such as birds and

trees, where we were able to sample the canopy species as well as those

that live in the forest under-storey. "

These results clearly demonstrate the unique value of undisturbed

tropical forests for wildlife conservation. However, they also show that

secondary forests and plantations offer some wildlife benefits and can

host many species that would be unable to survive in intensive

agricultural landscapes such as cattle ranching or soybean plantations.

 

" Although the protection of large areas of primary forest is

vital for native biodiversity conservation, reforestation projects can

play an important supplementary role in efforts to boost population sizes

of forest species and manage vast working landscapes that have already

been heavily modified by human-use " explained Dr Carlos Peres, who

leads the UEA team.

But, when carbon-credits from Reduced Emissions from Deforestation

and Degradation (REDDS) are tabled for the first time at the Bali meeting

next month, decision makers should beware of seeing fast-growing exotics

such as eucalyptus as a carbon sink solution to the world's emissions

problems. If agreed upon by world leaders REDDs offer an extraordinary

opportunity to generate funds to support the long-term protection of

large areas of intact forest habitat

Pristine forests are home to over half of all terrestrial species in

the world and their loss would impoverish the planet. Far better to save

primary forest from deforestation in the first place, " added Dr

Peres. " That way we maximize both the biodiversity and carbon value

of whole landscapes. "

PAt 08:11 AM 11/19/07, you wrote:

Primary Rain Forest Is

Irreplaceable

Posted by: " Mark Graffis " mgraffis

mgraffis

Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:47 am (PST)

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Primary_Rain_Forest_Is_Irreplaceable_999.html

Primary Rain Forest Is Irreplaceable

Over an area larger than Wales, the UEA and museum researchers surveyed

five primary rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary forest

and five areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees (Eucalyptus), to

evaluate patterns of biodiversity.

by Staff Writers

East Anglia, UK (SPX) Nov 16, 2007

As world leaders prepare to discuss conservation-friendly carbon credits

in Bali and a regional initiative threatens a new wave of deforestation

in the South American tropics, new research from the University of East

Anglia and Brazil's Goeldi Museum highlights once again the irreplaceable

importance of primary rain forest.

Working in the north-eastern Brazilian Amazon the international team of

scientists undertook the single-largest assessment of the biodiversity

conservation value of primary, secondary and plantation forests ever

conducted in the humid tropics. The study was partly funded by the UK

Government's Darwin Initiative and their findings are reported in the

latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

(PNAS).

Over an area larger than Wales, the UEA and museum researchers surveyed

five primary rain forest sites, five areas of natural secondary forest

and five areas planted with fast-growing exotic trees (Eucalyptus), to

evaluate patterns of biodiversity.

Following an intensive effort of more than 20,000 scientist hours in the

field and laboratory, they collected data on the distribution of 15

different groups of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) and woody

plants, including well-studied groups such as monkeys, butterflies and

amphibians and also more obscure species such as fruit flies, orchid bees

and grasshoppers.

" We know that different species often exhibit different responses to

deforestation and so we sought to understand the consequences of land-use

change for as many species as possible, " said Dr Jos Barlow, a

former post-doctoral researcher at UEA.

At least a quarter of all species were never found outside native primary

forest habitat - and the team acknowledges that this is an underestimate.

" Our study should be seen as a best-case scenario, as all our

forests were relatively close to large areas of primary forests,

providing ample sources for recolonisation, " said Dr Barlow.

 

" Many plantations and regenerating forests along the deforestation

frontiers in South America and south-east Asia are much further from

primary forests, and wildlife may be unable to recolonise in these areas.

 

" Furthermore, the percentage of species restricted to primary forest

habitat was much higher (40-60%) for groups such as birds and trees,

where we were able to sample the canopy species as well as those that

live in the forest under-storey. "

These results clearly demonstrate the unique value of undisturbed

tropical forests for wildlife conservation. However, they also show that

secondary forests and plantations offer some wildlife benefits and can

host many species that would be unable to survive in intensive

agricultural landscapes such as cattle ranching or soybean plantations.

 

" Although the protection of large areas of primary forest is vital

for native biodiversity conservation, reforestation projects can play an

important supplementary role in efforts to boost population sizes of

forest species and manage vast working landscapes that have already been

heavily modified by human-use " explained Dr Carlos Peres, who leads

the UEA team.

But, when carbon-credits from Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and

Degradation (REDDS) are tabled for the first time at the Bali meeting

next month, decision makers should beware of seeing fast-growing exotics

such as eucalyptus as a carbon sink solution to the world's emissions

problems. If agreed upon by world leaders REDDs offer an extraordinary

opportunity to generate funds to support the long-term protection of

large areas of intact forest habitat

Pristine forests are home to over half of all terrestrial species in the

world and their loss would impoverish the planet. Far better to save

primary forest from deforestation in the first place, " added Dr

Peres. " That way we maximize both the biodiversity and carbon value

of whole landscapes. "

 

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http://www.thehavens.com/

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606-376-3363

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

No it’s not!

It just takes a very

very very very long time to come back….

Alice J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Behalf Of The Havens

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

1:39 am

stopthepoisons ;

Health and Healing-

Re:

[graffis-l PRIMARY RAIN FOREST IS IRREPLACABLE

 

 

 

 

 

Primary

Rain Forest Is

Irreplaceable

[Guest guest]

A very long time to come back.......it grow back in few years.

 

 

tirsdag 20. nov 2007 kl. 01:08 skrev Alice:

 

> No it’s not!

>

> It just takes a very very very very long time to come back….

>

> AliceJ

>

>  

>

<image.tiff>

>

>

>

> On Behalf OfThe Havens

> Tuesday, 20 November 2007 1:39 am

> stopthepoisons ; Health and Healing-

> Re: [graffis-l PRIMARY RAIN FOREST IS

> IRREPLACABLE

>

>  

>

Primary Rain Forest Is Irreplaceable

>

>