Life after logging: A second chance for damaged forest ecosystems

Forests are crucial in the Earth’s ecosystems, not only as homes for plants and animals, but also as regulators of atmospheric gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2). Forests, especially tropical forests such as the Amazon and the Congo Basin, are vital for CO2 absorption, thanks to their extensive biomass and rapid growth cycle. Their influence in purifying the air is somewhat stronger than other types of forests, such as those in cold regions.

However, it is known that forests around the world are facing increasing challenges, for example in vital areas such as the Amazon and Southeast Asia, as well as in the Congo River basin. The destruction of the Amazon is particularly alarming, because every year thousands of square kilometers of forest disappear in this area, although they produce about 20 percent of the oxygen on the planet, while absorbing huge amounts of CO2.

In Southeast Asia, forests on islands such as Sumatra and Borneo are rapidly being converted into palm oil plantations. This form of degradation not only reduces the ability of forests to absorb CO2, but also leads to a significant loss of biodiversity.

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Research conducted by scientists at Imperial College London in collaboration with international partners has provided new insights into how forests can withstand certain levels of logging before losing their key ecological functions. The study, carried out as part of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project in Malaysia, showed that forests that retain more than 71 percent of their original biomass can still support high biodiversity and recover if not further disturbed. However, when more than 68 percent of the biomass is removed, serious ecological imbalances occur.

This research renders somewhat traditional conservation perspectives obsolete, as they favor only intact forests, while new research suggests that logged forests can also function as sustainable ecosystems if properly managed. Additionally, the research offers a new conservation framework that can help more effectively restore and manage degraded forests.

The team is also developing a “virtual ecosystem” model that will simulate the dynamics of the Borneo rainforest, which will allow predicting the outcome of different conservation strategies.

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