Wildlife in managed tropical forests: a neotropical perspective
Scientific multiple-use management of tropical forests for wildlife, timber, and natural products presents many challenges. Timber harvesting typically results in heavey damage to forest canopies and is often accompanied by road building, which provides access to hunters and colonists. A number of studies are concordant in showing that destruction of more than 50 percent of the canopy adversely impacts wildlife, especially large frugivorous species that comprise much of the biomass. Clearcuts are even more detrimental, particularly when undertaken on large spatial scales. Biodiversity losses can be minimized by confining cuts to small patches or narrow strips. Long rotations are recommended because short cycles do not permit attainment of reproductive status by many mature-phase species important as wildlife food resources. The value of managed forests as wildlife habitats can be enhanced by sparing "keystone plant resources", defined as food source fruits, nuts, and nectar-that are produced during the annual period of food scarcity. Because such plants seldom occupy more than a tiny fraction of any stand, the cost of leaving them is minimal. Far more than in temperate forests, large birds and mammals play crucial roles as seed dispersers. If these animals are decimated, either by timber-harvesting practices that destroy their food resources and/or by the depredations of hunters, the regeneration of numerous tree species will be adversely affected. Wildlife management and forest management must, therefore, go hand in hand if multiple use is to become a reality.
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| Format: | biblioteca |
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New York, NY (EUA) Springer-Verlag
1995
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| Subjects: | USO MULTIPLE DEL BOSQUE, MANEJO FORESTAL, VIDA SILVESTRE, PRODUCCION DE MADERA, REGENERACION NATURAL, FENOLOGIA, DAÑOS, APROVECHAMIENTO FORESTAL, |
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