Publication Date:
2018-03-12
Description:
Ongoing controversy over logging the ancient Białowieża Forest in Poland symbolizes a global problem for policies and management of the increasing proportion of the earth's intact forest that is subject to post-disturbance logging. We review the extent of, and motivations for, post-disturbance logging in protected and unprotected forests globally. An unprecedented level of logging in protected areas and other places where green-tree harvest would not normally occur is driven by economic interests and a desire for pest control. To avoid failure of global initiatives dedicated to reducing the loss of species, five key policy reforms are necessary: (1) salvage logging must be banned from protected areas; (2) forest planning should address altered disturbance regimes for all intact forests to ensure that significant areas remain undisturbed by logging; (3) new kinds of integrated analyses are needed to assess the potential economic benefits of salvage logging against its ecological, economic, and social costs; (4) global and regional maps of natural disturbance regimes should be created to guide better spatio-temporal planning of protected areas and undisturbed forests outside reserves; and (5) improved education and communication programs are needed to correct widely-held misconceptions about natural disturbances. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Print ISSN:
1755-263X
Electronic ISSN:
1755-263X
Topics:
Biology
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