Communications Earth & Environment (Dec 2024)
Simple ecological indicators benchmark regeneration success of Amazonian forests
- André L. Giles,
- Juliana Schietti,
- Milena F. Rosenfield,
- Rita C. Mesquita,
- Daniel Luis Mascia Vieira,
- Ima C. G. Vieira,
- Lourens Poorter,
- Pedro H. S. Brancalion,
- Marielos Peña-Claros,
- João Siqueira,
- Luis Oliveira Junior,
- Mário Marcos do Espírito-Santo,
- Priscila Sanjuan de Medeiros Sarmento,
- Joice N. Ferreira,
- Erika Berenguer,
- Jos Barlow,
- Fernando Elias,
- Henrique Luis Godinho Cassol,
- Richarlly C. Silva,
- Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro,
- Natália Medeiros,
- André B. Junqueira,
- Paulo Massoca,
- Marciel Jose Ferreira,
- Markus Gastauer,
- Leandro V. Ferreira,
- Danilo Roberti Alves de Almeida,
- Luiz E. O. C. Aragão,
- Catarina C. Jakovac
Affiliations
- André L. Giles
- Federal University of Santa Catarina
- Juliana Schietti
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas
- Milena F. Rosenfield
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
- Rita C. Mesquita
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
- Daniel Luis Mascia Vieira
- Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia
- Ima C. G. Vieira
- Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi
- Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group- Wageningen University & Research
- Pedro H. S. Brancalion
- Department of Forest Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture - University of São Paulo
- Marielos Peña-Claros
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group- Wageningen University & Research
- João Siqueira
- Mapbiomas
- Luis Oliveira Junior
- Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia – Imazon
- Mário Marcos do Espírito-Santo
- Departamento de Biologia Geral-Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros
- Priscila Sanjuan de Medeiros Sarmento
- Instituto Tecnologico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável
- Joice N. Ferreira
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental
- Erika Berenguer
- Environmental Change Institute-School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford
- Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre - Lancaster University
- Fernando Elias
- Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia
- Henrique Luis Godinho Cassol
- Remote Sensing Division - National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
- Richarlly C. Silva
- Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado do Acre
- Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro
- Universidade Federal do Acre
- Natália Medeiros
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia-Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
- André B. Junqueira
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Paulo Massoca
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project - Environmental Dynamics Research Coordination
- Marciel Jose Ferreira
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais - Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM)
- Markus Gastauer
- Instituto Tecnologico Vale Desenvolvimento Sustentável
- Leandro V. Ferreira
- Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi
- Danilo Roberti Alves de Almeida
- Bioflore
- Luiz E. O. C. Aragão
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division-National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
- Catarina C. Jakovac
- Federal University of Santa Catarina
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01949-9
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 5,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 12
Abstract
Abstract Natural regeneration of Amazon forests offers a promising strategy to mitigate forest loss and advance the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. However, the vast variability in regeneration rates across environmental gradients and over time poses considerable challenges for assessing regeneration success and ecosystem services provision in human-modified landscapes. Here we compiled 448 plots from forest regeneration in the Amazon to investigate the drivers of regrowth capacity and identify robust ecological indicators. By modeling optimal successional trajectories, we estimated reference values for vegetation structure, diversity, and functioning. After 20 years, successful regeneration should reach a minimum basal area of 14 m². ha−¹, at least 34 tree species per 100 individuals, a structural heterogeneity index of 0.27, and 123 Mg.ha−¹ of aboveground biomass. These straightforward indicators and reference values provide a foundational framework for governments and practitioners to assess success and establish targets for Amazon restoration efforts.
