Workshop Review: Can tree plantations restore degraded tropical forests?

SUMMARY: About 15 million sq km of the tropics is classified as “degraded". One way to rehabilitate degraded land and take the pressure off remaining forest is to establish plantations of fast-growing timber trees. However, many conservationists oppose tropical tree plantations, claiming that their uniform structure supports low biodiversity, especially if invading vegetation is regarded as weeds and cut back. Exotic plantation trees are considered particularly detrimental to wildlife, since native herbivores often cannot eat them. However, such views may need to be substantially revised, following an international symposium and workshop on “Accelerating Native Forest Regeneration on Degraded Tropical Lands" held Washington, DC, USA June 11-14 1996, which explored how tropical plantations might enhance biodiversity and accelerate regeneration of natural forest ecosystems. Organized by the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations, World Bank, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, its main purpose was to assess the results of an 18-month research program entitled "The Catalytic Effect of Tree Plantings on the Rehabilitation of Native Forest Biodiversity: an Exploratory Analysis" (sponsored by the World Bank, USDA Forest Service, the Centre for International Forestry Research and the Overseas Development Administration of the U. K.), which assessed biodiversity in various tree plantations throughout the tropics - from eucalypt monocultures to mixed species for ecosystem restoration.

This article is a review of some of the key papers and outputs of the workshop.

Click here to view Kate Hardwick's paper on "Understanding and assisting natural regeneration processes in degraded seasonal evergreen forests in northern Thailand" which was published in the workshop proceedings.