Journal article
Liana cutting for restoring tropical forests: A rare palaeotropical trial
African Journal of Ecology, Vol.55(3), pp.282-297
2017
Abstract
Liana growth following forest disturbance is threatening the tropical carbon sink by delaying or preventing recovery. Tree growth can be stimulated by liana cutting; however, its applicability for conservation management remains uncertain, particularly in Africa (the least-studied continent for ecological restoration) and against pervasive barriers such as wildfires. We conducted a small-scale trial to investigate tree sapling regeneration following liana cutting in a lowland African forest prone to low intensity wildfires. We employed a BACI design comprising eighteen 25 m2 plots of sapling trees in liana-infested areas. After 5 years of liana cutting, we saw greater recruitment, stem growth and net biomass. Wildfires caused 51% mortality and probably masked liana cutting influences on species and survival, but may have encouraged stem recruitment through interaction with liana cutting. Incorporating our data into a first quantitative review of previous studies, we found that tree growth, recruitment and net growth rates were all consistently higher where lianas were either absent or removed (respectively: 80%, 215%, 633%; n = 14, 3, 4). Tree growth impacts were approximately equivalent across size-classes and continents. We give recommendations for improved plot and sample sizes, but conclude that liana cutting is a promising restoration method for lowland tropical forests, including Africa. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Details
- Title
- Liana cutting for restoring tropical forests: A rare palaeotropical trial
- Authors
- Andrew R Marshall (Author) - University of York, United KingdomM A Coates (Author) - University of York, United KingdomJ Archer (Author) - University of York, United KingdomE Kivambe (Author) - Udzungwa Forest Project, TanzaniaH Mnendendo (Author) - Udzungwa Forest Project, TanzaniaS Mtoka (Author) - Udzungwa Forest Project, TanzaniaR Mwakisoma (Author) - Udzungwa Forest Project, TanzaniaR J R L de Figueiredo (Author) - University of York, United KingdomF M Njilima (Author) - Udzungwa Forest Project, Tanzania
- Publication details
- African Journal of Ecology, Vol.55(3), pp.282-297
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Date published
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1111/aje.12349
- ISSN
- 0141-6707
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2016 The Authors. African Journal of Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Organisation Unit
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450476702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
117 File views/ downloads
987 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites