What: A joint webinar sponsored by the Society for Ecological Restoration and the ATBC. You can sign-up to watch it by going to http://tropicalbiology.org/career-development/webinars/role-secondary-forests/.
When: Thursday, Dec 14, 2017 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EST
More Details:
Secondary forest regrowth following agricultural land use represents a major feature of human-modified landscapes across the tropics. International interest is growing regarding the importance of secondary forests for biodiversity conservation, for large-scale reforestation programs, and for the role of these forests in mitigating effects of global climate change. In this webinar, researchers from different disciplines of social and natural science will discuss the importance of second-growth forests for conserving and restoring biodiversity, and recovering ecosystem functions and services. This webinar will address five key questions about the ecology, governance, landscape conditions, and social drivers of secondary tropical forests and the role these forests can play for conservation and restoration in the Anthropocene. The panel will include researchers from different disciplines of natural and social sciences that will discuss these aspects and pinpoint guidelines for future research and policies for conserving biodiversity and to restore degraded lands in human-modified landscapes across the world’s tropics.
Webinar topics and presenters:
Introduction: Why secondary forests? Why now?
Dr. F. Bongers, Ph.D., Senior Professor, Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University, Netherlands.
To what extent does second-growth forest represent an option for conserving biodiversity in human modified landscapes?
Dr. Robin Chazdon (forest ecologist), Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut, USA; Executive Director ATBC.
What are the key issues affecting governance and the fate of secondary forests as a tool for large-scale forest restoration in the tropics?
Dr. Manuel R. Guariguata (forest ecologist), CIFOR, Lima, Peru.
What are the knowledge gaps for better understanding of forest regrowth in tropical human modified landscapes?
Dr. Laura C. Schneider (biogeographer), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
How is natural regeneration affected by landscape conditions and how this is important for considering the role of NR in large-scale restoration?
Dr. Miguel Martínez-Ramos (forest ecologist): Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacan, México.
What social factors are associated with forest regrowth and how are these changing?
Dr. Thomas Rudel (sociologist), Senior Professor of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey.
How can strategic approaches to restoration maximize the benefits and synergies of secondary forests for conservation and ecosystem services?
Dr. Bernardo Strassburg (economist): Rio Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre (PUC-Rio University) & International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Being Relevant- 