Tropical forests recovering from disturbance could be much more important to the conservation of forest bird species than first thought, according to a new study.
Tropical forests recovering from disturbance could be much more important to the conservation of forest bird species than first thought, according to a new study.
The research, led by the University of Stirling, indicates that species extinctions caused by the destruction and degradation of tropical primary forests could be avoided if sufficient areas of secondary forest – those regenerating following logging or clearance – can be conserved.
The findings – published in Biotropica – challenge previous assertions suggesting that young secondary forests have low conservation potential.
Dr Rebekah Mayhew, an ecologist from the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Stirling, led the research, which involved colleagues from Imperial College London and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. She said: “Despite many questioning the conservation value of secondary forests, we showed that they can be enormously valuable for birds when they are adjacent to extensive primary forests.
Read more at University of Stirling
Image: Dr. Rebekah Mayhew. (Credit: University of Stirling)
