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Conceptualizing Forest Degradation.
Journal article

Conceptualizing Forest Degradation.

  • Ghazoul J Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: jaboury.ghazoul@env.ethz.ch.
  • Burivalova Z Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Garcia-Ulloa J Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • King LA Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • 2015-09-29
Published in:
  • Trends in ecology & evolution. - 2015
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecological and Environmental Phenomena
Ecosystem
Forests
Human Activities
Time Factors
English Forest degradation is a global environmental issue, but its definition is problematic. Difficulties include choosing appropriate reference states, timescales, thresholds, and forest values. We dispense with many such ambiguities by interpreting forest degradation through the frame of ecological resilience, and with reference to forest dynamics. Specifically, we define forest degradation as a state of anthropogenically induced arrested succession, where ecological processes that underlie forest dynamics are diminished or severely constrained. Metrics of degradation might include those that reflect ecological processes shaping community dynamics, notably the regeneration of plant species. Arrested succession implies that management intervention is necessary to recover successional trajectories. Such a definition can be applied to any forest ecosystem, and can also be extended to other ecosystems.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/143776
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