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Restoration of ecosystems for biodiversity and carbon sequestration: Simulating growth dynamics of brigalow vegetation communities in Australia

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  • Ngugi, Michael R.
  • Johnson, Robert W.
  • McDonald, William J.F.

Abstract

Restoration of abandoned and degraded ecosystems through enhanced management of mature remnant patches and naturally regenerating (regrowth) forests is currently being used in the recovery of ecosystems for biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration. Knowledge of long-term dynamics of these ecosystems is often very limited. Vegetation models that examine long-term forest growth and succession of uneven aged, mixed-species forest ecosystems are integral to the planning and assessment of the recovery process of biodiversity values and biomass accumulation. This paper examined the use of the Ecosystem Dynamics Simulator (EDS) in projecting growth dynamics of mature remnant brigalow forest communities and recovery process of regrowth brigalow thickets. We used data from 188 long-term monitored plots of remnant and regrowth forests measured between 1963 and 2010. In this study the model was parameterised for 34 tree and shrub species and tested with independent long-term measurements. The model closely approximated actual development trajectories of mature forests and regrowth thickets but some inaccuracies in estimating regeneration through asexual reproduction and mortality were noted as reflected in stem density projections of remnant plots that had a mean of absolute relative bias of 46.2 (±12.4)%. Changes in species composition in remnant forests were projected with a 10% error. Basal area values observed in all remnant plots ranged from 6 to 29m2ha−1 and EDS projections between 1966 and 2005 (39 years) were 68.2 (±10.9)% of the observed basal area. Projected live aboveground biomass of remnant plots had a mean of 93.5 (±5.9)tha−1 compared to a mean of 91.3 (±8.0)tha−1 observed in the plots. In regrowth thicket, the model produced satisfactory projections of tree density (91%), basal area (89%), height (87%) and aboveground biomass (84%) compared to the observed attributes. Basal area and biomass accumulation in 45-year-old regrowth plots was approximately similar to that in remnant forests but recovery of woody understorey was very slow. The model projected that it would take 95 years for the regrowth to thin down to similar densities observed in original or remnant brigalow forests. These results indicated that EDS can produce relatively accurate projections of growth dynamics of brigalow regrowth forests necessary for informing restoration planning and projecting biomass accumulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ngugi, Michael R. & Johnson, Robert W. & McDonald, William J.F., 2011. "Restoration of ecosystems for biodiversity and carbon sequestration: Simulating growth dynamics of brigalow vegetation communities in Australia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(3), pages 785-794.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:3:p:785-794
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.09.022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fyllas, Nikolaos M. & Phillips, Oliver L. & Kunin, William E. & Matsinos, Yiannis G. & Troumbis, Andreas I., 2007. "Development and parameterization of a general forest gap dynamics simulator for the North-eastern Mediterranean Basin (GREek FOrest Species)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 204(3), pages 439-456.
    2. Ross, Karen A. & Bedward, Michael & Ellis, Murray V. & Deane, Andrew & Simpson, Christopher C. & Bradstock, Ross A., 2008. "Modelling the dynamics of white cypress pine Callitris glaucophylla woodlands in inland south-eastern Australia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 11-24.
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    1. Ngugi, Michael R. & Botkin, Daniel B., 2011. "Validation of a multispecies forest dynamics model using 50-year growth from Eucalyptus forests in eastern Australia," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(17), pages 3261-3270.
    2. Luintel, Harisharan & Bluffstone, Randall A. & Scheller, Robert M., 2018. "An assessment of collective action drivers of carbon storage in Nepalese forest commons," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 39-47.
    3. Ngugi, Michael R. & Botkin, Daniel B. & Doley, David & Cant, Mark & Kelley, Jack, 2013. "Restoration and management of callitris forest ecosystems in Eastern Australia: Simulation of attributes of growth dynamics, growth increment and biomass accumulation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 263(C), pages 152-161.
    4. Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca & Rosa M. Martín-Aranda & Ruben Diaz-Sierra, 2017. "Towards an Integrated Environmental Compensation Scheme in Spain: Linking Biodiversity and Carbon Offsets," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 19(02), pages 1-25, June.

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