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Acta Biológica Colombiana

Print version ISSN 0120-548X

Abstract

CORDERO RIVERA, ADOLFO. When you Cannot See the Forest for the Trees: Effect of Forest Monocultures on Biodiversity Conservation. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2011, vol.16, n.2, pp.247-268. ISSN 0120-548X.

Human population is growing at rates that were unimaginable only a century ago, creating such pressure on resources, which will only decrease when the decline in birth rate stabilizes population. Among these resources, wood is one of the most demanded. Global consumption of wood is currently more than 3500 million m3, a rate multiplied by six since 1950. To meet this demand, we manage millions of hectares of forests and forest plantations, part of which are cut down each year. This logging determines drastic effects on forests, affecting the biodiversity associated and the ecosystems services provided to society. This work is a review of the structural and functional characteristics that differentiate forests and forest plantations, in spite of the confusion between both ecosystems by FAO and the forest sector companies, which have coined the oxymoron “planted forests”. Forest plantations are more productive than forests from the point of view of the volume of wood that can be obtained from them, and if well managed, could minimize the pressure on forests. However, they do not provide many services that forests do provide, especially in the case of monospecific plantations consisting of even aged individuals of exotic species that are managed intensively. Some of the many techniques that combine the production of wood with the conservation of biodiversity are reviewed.

Keywords : Forests; forest plantations; ecological impacts; conservation; ecoforestry.

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