Output type: Publications

Logged tropical forests have amplified and diverse ecosystem energetics

Metabolic approach to forest ecosystem health

Do metabolic ecology approaches offer a useful new approach to assessing ecosystem health and nature recovery? Our research uses areas of old growth and selectively logged forest to assess this approach.

Positive effects of tree diversity on tropical forest restoration in a field-scale experiment

Active restoration of selectively logged forest

The dipterocarp trees that dominate the lowland forests of Southeast Asia have traits that mean they may be slow to naturally recover from selective-logging and other disturbances. Can active restoration techniques accelerate forest recovery? Our research uses the experimental treatments of Sabah Biodiversity Experiment to assess the effectiveness of replanting with different species and of ‘climber cutting’ – the removal of climbing liana species.

Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure

The natural value of recovering selectively logged forests
Large areas of forest in Borneo have been selectively logged and are now undergoing recovery – how do these selectively logged forests differ from their undisturbed old growth counterparts and what are the consequences if they are converted to oil palm plantation?

What is a unit of nature? Measurement challenges in the emerging biodiversity credit market

Bending the curve of biodiversity loss requires the business and financial sectors to disclose and reduce their biodiversity impacts and help fund nature recovery. This has sparked interest in developing generalizable, standardized measurements of biodiversity—essentially a ‘unit of nature’. We examine how such units are defined in the rapidly growing voluntary biodiversity credits market and present a framework exploring how biodiversity is quantified, how delivery of positive outcomes is detected and attributed to the investment and how the number of credits issued is adjusted to account for uncertainties….

Why models underestimate West African tropical forest productivity

Tropical forests dominate terrestrial photosynthesis, yet there are major contradictions in our understanding due to a lack of field studies, especially outside the tropical Americas. A recent field study indicated that West African forests have among the highest forests gross primary productivity (GPP) yet observed, contradicting models that rank them lower than Amazonian forests. Here, we explore possible reasons for this data-model mismatch. We found the in situ GPP measurements higher than multiple global GPP products at the studied sites in Ghana. The underestimation of GPP by models largely disappears when a standard photosynthesis model is informed by local field-measured values of (a) fractional absorbed photosynthetic radiation (fAPAR), and (b) photosynthetic traits. Satellites systematically underestimate fAPAR in the tropics due to cloud contamination issues. The study highlights the potential widespread underestimation of tropical forests GPP and carbon cycling and hints at the ways forward for model and input data improvement.

Is messy the new beautiful? Why debates about what nature recovery looks like matter

Current aspirations for nature recovery to address biodiversity loss and climate change will involve changing what landscapes look like, which can create challenging aesthetic experiences for members of the public.
In this study, we interrogate the role of aesthetics in shaping visions of nature recovery, focussing on the construction and contestation of ‘mess’ and ‘messiness’ in nature recovery.

Biodiversity offsets perform poorly for both people and nature, but better approaches are available

Highlights
• Local planning constraints deliver poor biodiversity net gain (BNG) offsets
• Removing those constraints results in significant BNG improvements
• Alternatively, offsets can deliver gains in environmental access

Strategies to manage tree pest and disease outbreaks: a balancing act.

Tree diseases are one of the major threats to forests worldwide. As the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks increase, effective prevention and mitigation strategies are urgently needed. Emerging methods are available to tackle this issue, however, trade-offs and potential ecological consequences should be considered for successful forest preservation.

Evaluating the impact of an invasive pathogen on tree population decline: An evidence based modelling approach.

Highlights

  • A complexity-appropriate model was developed to forecast an invasive forest disease
  • If 15 % of trees are resistant they create an efficient buffer against population decline
  • Our modelling framework helps prediction, error assessment, and scenario building
Unravelling a hidden synergy: How pathogen-climate interactions transform habitat hydrology and affect tree growth.

Interactions between multiple global change stressors are a defining characteristic of the Anthropocene. Tree-associated pathogens are affecting forested ecosystems worldwide and occur in the context of increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods. The effects of these events, along with subsequent changes in environmental conditions, on remaining and regenerating trees, are not well understood but crucial for the restoration and conservation of forested habitats.