Natural forest management and conservation of biodiversity. Request pdf on nov 1, 2012, adrian newton and others published tropical montane cloud forests. For thousands of years, fire has been an integral part of canadas landscape. Montane climate is quite variable, depending on latitude and altitude. United states agriculture montane forest management in the. Ecosystembased management of tropical montane cloud. Tmcfs exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation due to moisture introduced by orographic cloud formation. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. Tropical montane cloud forests tmcfs are biologically rich and diverse ecosystems that are characterized by frequent and prolonged immersion within orographic clouds. The results of this pilot effort demonstrate the importance of managed forests for biodiversity conservation and the influence of forest management on priority bird species. Tropical montane cloud forest tmcf has long been recognised as one of the most threatened ecosystems globally hamilton et al.
In addition to central america, tropical montane cloud forests are found in south america, africa, southeast asia, and the caribbean. Climates are always cooler with increased elevation and usually wetter than lowland environments of the same region. Landsat and geostationary operational environmental satellite imagery show that deforested areas of costa ricas caribbean lowlands. Soil science society of america journal abstract forest. Research applying climatically associated species pools to. One example of a tropical montane forest is a cloud forest, which gains its moisture from clouds and fog. Few people would question the ecological and socioeconomic importance of tropical cloud forests, so it is a pleasure to discover a new book dedicated to their conservation and management. Biogeography of tropical montane cloud forests youtube. Sensitivity of orographic cloud formation to deforestation in the plains deepak k. Department of agriculture, forest service, international institute of tropical forestry.
Tropical montane and submontanc forcst cover and deforestation ralc comparcd to the entire tropics forest cover 1990 annual dcforcstation 198190 land arca total land arca total o per million ha million ha %o ha year total tropics 4,778. Conservation status and management issues 24 charles doumenge, don gilmour, manuel ruiz perez, and jill blockhus 3 hydrology and biogeochemistry of tropical montane cloud. At a tropical montane cloud forest workshop held at cambridge, u. Cambridge core ecology and conservation tropical montane cloud forests edited by l. Water dynamics of epiphytic vegetation in a lower montane cloud forest. The ecology of the montane spruce zone he montane spruce zone occupies a narrow, midelevation band in the mountains and plateaus of the dry southern interior of british columbia. The monteverde cloud forests, which are the focus of considerable conservation and re search interest, provide a case in point 2, 5, 6. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. In the early years of our national parks system, fire was seen as something that. However, interest has focused primarily on lowland tropical rainforests. Here in the mountain national parks, it has played a significant and important role in shaping types of vegetation and wildlife species we have in the park. The first technique uses a new algorithm for determining cloudbase height using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer modis cloud products, and the second method uses numerical atmospheric simulation along with geostationary satellite data. Our objective was to analyse how the carbon balance changes during forest succession. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon c cycle.
Three general tmcf types are recognized lower montane cloud forest, upper montane cloud forest, and subalpine cloud forest within the widely adopted definition of cloud forests as forests that are frequently covered in cloud or mist stadtmu. Montane forests are highly endangered due to logging, landuse and climate change. We conclude that emphasis on nfm as a means to sustainably use tropical forests and to conserve biodiversity is not supported by the available evidence and that there is a danger this emphasis may be detracting from other options available for. However, various successful conservation and sustainable use projects illustrate the potential of a range of approaches to conserve these forests. Tropical montane cloud forests tmcfs depend on predictable, frequent, and prolonged immersion in cloud.
Watershedfitnction, including a role in the capture and transport of water. Watch the video presented by your teacher, an introduction to tropical montane cloud forests, and read the accompanying text. Montane forest management in the insular caribbean. The most common tmcf classification sensu bruijnzeel, 2001 considers an increase in fog persistence with an increase in elevation that leads to. However, tropical montane forests have been studied less than tropical lowland forests, and their role in carbon storage is not well understood. The first technique uses a new algorithm for determining cloudbase height using moderate resolution imaging spectoradiometer modis cloud products, and the second method uses numerical atmospheric simulation along with geostationary satellite data. Tropical montane cloud forests science for conservation. Although the zone is mostly forested, in some areas it contains numerous lakes, wetlands, and meadows. Tropical montane cloud forests tmcfs are biologically diverse ecosystems that are characterized by frequent and prolonged immersion within orographic clouds, which can engulf entire ecosystems in a misty fog. This study details two unique methods to quantify cloudimmersion statistics for tropical montane cloud forest tmcfs. An urgent priority for conservation by world conservation monitoring centre mark aldrich, clare billington, mary edwards and ruth laidlaw summary tropical montane cloud forests tmcfs are high on the list of the worlds most.
Biodiversity loss and conservation in fragmented forest. Impact of land use on costa rican tropical montane cloud forests. Human impact on the cloud forest opening questions directions. Tmcf is an evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent lowlevel cloud cover, usually at or below the vegetation canopy level. This volume represents a uniquely comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on tropical montane cloud forests. Tropical montane and temperate rainforests, which face similar pressures from human activities and play major roles in the livelihood of. A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest tmcf, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal lowlevel cloud cover, usually at the canopy level, formally described in the international cloud atlas 2017 as silvagenitus.
Tropical montane cloud forests science for conservation and management this volume represents a uniquely comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on tropical montane cloud forests. Researchers estimate that tropical montane cloud forests tmcf cover 500,000 square kilometers, which is about 0. Increasing concern surrounding the loss of natural forests and the decline in biodiversity has lead to a rise in research and policy initiatives in recent years. Conservation status forest resource montane forest cloud forest montane area these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. Ecology and conservation of a tropical cloud forest is an impressive 573 page volume which includes the work of 114 individual contributors, each selected for his and her specialized knowledge of monteverde flora, fauna, history and biodiversity. In the tropics, montane forests can consist of broadleaf forest in addition to coniferous forest. Landsat and geostationary operational environmental satellite imagery show that deforested areas of costa ricas caribbean lowlands remain relatively. It comprises 72 chapters divided into seven sections covering a wide spectrum of topics including cloud forest distribution, climate, soils, biodiversity. Below, write down important information that you learn about the cloud forest ecosystem. Tropical montane cloud forests tmcfs are considered to play a key role in the hydrological cycle zadroga, 1981, calder, 2002, largely due to the effects of fog persistence grubb, 1977. Until relatively recently the valuable tropical montane cloud forests hereaf ter. Biodiversity and conservation of neotropical montane forests. The university of pennsylvanias master of environmental studies lecture series presents ecosystembased management of tropical montane cloud forests by fred scatena, ph.
It is characterised by the frequent presence of clouds and mist hamilton et al. Restoration of soil fertility using native tree species ecological engineering 2006 28. Science for conservation and management international hydrology series l. In fact, the cloud forest cause has been diligently promoted by a dedicated community of researchers and conservationists over the past couple of decades and. Conservation status and management 29 values tropical montane cloud forests exhibit many values related to the uniqueness of these ecosystems, in terms of their diversity and endemism, and the functions they provide. Clearing upwind lowland forest alters surface energy budgets in ways that influence dry season cloud fields and thus the tmcf environment.
Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forests. Two elevationsabove 800 m and above 300 mdefine the montane forests of the caribbean islands. Science for conservation and management this volume represents a uniquely comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on tropical montane cloud. Wcmc biodiversity bulletin no 2 see other formats wcmc biodiversity bulletin no. Tropical montane cloud forests are very rare and represent only a fraction of the worlds remaining tropical forests. Climatic impact of tropical lowland deforestation on.
1239 87 1032 33 1538 910 921 1270 208 886 275 137 808 589 1443 1029 1178 1571 481 317 1027 153 1477 983 254 1621 1259 1253 1177 1274 921 892 1275 424 879 305 670 123