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Recovery of logged forest fragments in a human-modified tropical landscape during the 2015-16 El Niño

Author

Listed:
  • Matheus Henrique Nunes

    (University of Cambridge
    University of Helsinki)

  • Tommaso Jucker

    (University of Cambridge
    University of Bristol)

  • Terhi Riutta

    (Silwood Park Campus
    Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford)

  • Martin Svátek

    (Mendel University in Brno)

  • Jakub Kvasnica

    (Mendel University in Brno)

  • Martin Rejžek

    (Mendel University in Brno)

  • Radim Matula

    (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague)

  • Noreen Majalap

    (Sabah Forestry Department)

  • Robert M. Ewers

    (Silwood Park Campus)

  • Tom Swinfield

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Rubén Valbuena

    (University of Cambridge
    School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University)

  • Nicholas R. Vaughn

    (Arizona State University, Tempe AZ and Hilo)

  • Gregory P. Asner

    (Arizona State University, Tempe AZ and Hilo)

  • David A. Coomes

    (University of Cambridge)

Abstract

The past 40 years in Southeast Asia have seen about 50% of lowland rainforests converted to oil palm and other plantations, and much of the remaining forest heavily logged. Little is known about how fragmentation influences recovery and whether climate change will hamper restoration. Here, we use repeat airborne LiDAR surveys spanning the hot and dry 2015-16 El Niño Southern Oscillation event to measure canopy height growth across 3,300 ha of regenerating tropical forests spanning a logging intensity gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We show that the drought led to increased leaf shedding and branch fall. Short forest, regenerating after heavy logging, continued to grow despite higher evaporative demand, except when it was located close to oil palm plantations. Edge effects from the plantations extended over 300 metres into the forests. Forest growth on hilltops and slopes was particularly impacted by the combination of fragmentation and drought, but even riparian forests located within 40 m of oil palm plantations lost canopy height during the drought. Our results suggest that small patches of logged forest within plantation landscapes will be slow to recover, particularly as ENSO events are becoming more frequent.

Suggested Citation

  • Matheus Henrique Nunes & Tommaso Jucker & Terhi Riutta & Martin Svátek & Jakub Kvasnica & Martin Rejžek & Radim Matula & Noreen Majalap & Robert M. Ewers & Tom Swinfield & Rubén Valbuena & Nicholas R., 2021. "Recovery of logged forest fragments in a human-modified tropical landscape during the 2015-16 El Niño," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-20811-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20811-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Jake E. Bicknell & Jesse R. O’Hanley & Paul R. Armsworth & Eleanor M. Slade & Nicolas J. Deere & Simon L. Mitchell & David Hemprich-Bennett & Victoria Kemp & Stephen J. Rossiter & Owen T. Lewis & Davi, 2023. "Enhancing the ecological value of oil palm agriculture through set-asides," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(5), pages 513-525, May.
    2. Matheus Henrique Nunes & José Luís Campana Camargo & Grégoire Vincent & Kim Calders & Rafael S. Oliveira & Alfredo Huete & Yhasmin Mendes de Moura & Bruce Nelson & Marielle N. Smith & Scott C. Stark &, 2022. "Forest fragmentation impacts the seasonality of Amazonian evergreen canopies," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Matheus Henrique Nunes & Marcel Caritá Vaz & José Luís Campana Camargo & William F. Laurance & Ana Andrade & Alberto Vicentini & Susan Laurance & Pasi Raumonen & Toby Jackson & Gabriela Zuquim & Jin W, 2023. "Edge effects on tree architecture exacerbate biomass loss of fragmented Amazonian forests," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

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