Giselda Durigan

Savanna vegetation-fire-climate relationships differ among continents.

Surveying Savannas Savannas are structurally similar across the three major continents where they occur, leading to the assumption that the factors controlling vegetation structure and function are broadly similar, too. Lehmann et al. (p. 548) report the results of an extensive analysis of ground-based tree abundance in savannas, sampled at more than 2000 sites in Africa, Australia, and South America. All savannas, independent of region, shared a common functional property in the way that moisture and fire regulated tree abundance. However, despite qualitative similarity in the moisture–fire–tree-biomass relationships among continents, key quantitative differences exist among the three regions, presumably as a result of unique evolutionary histories and climatic domains. Evolution cannot be overlooked when aiming to predict the potential global impacts on savanna dynamics in a warming world. Ecologists have long sought to understand the factors controlling the structure of savanna vegetation. Using data from 2154 sites in savannas across Africa, Australia, and South America, we found that increasing moisture availability drives increases in fire and tree basal area, whereas fire reduces tree basal area. However, among continents, the magnitude of these effects varied substantially, so that a single model cannot adequately represent savanna woody biomass across these regions. Historical and environmental differences drive the regional variation in the functional relationships between woody vegetation, fire, and climate. These same differences will determine the regional responses of vegetation to future climates, with implications for global carbon stocks.

Toward an old‐growth concept for grasslands, savannas, and woodlands

We expand the concept of “old growth” to encompass the distinct ecologies and conservation values of the worlds ancient grass-dominated biomes. Biologically rich grasslands, savannas, and open-canopy woodlands suffer from an image problem among scientists, policy makers, land managers, and the general public, that fosters alarming rates of ecosystem destruction and degradation. These biomes have for too long been misrepresented as the result of deforestation followed by arrested succession. We now know that grassy biomes originated millions of years ago, long before humans began deforesting. We present a consensus view from diverse geographic regions on the ecological characteristics needed to identify old-growth grasslands and to distinguish them from recently formed anthropogenic vegetation. If widely adopted, the old-growth grassland concept has the potential to improve scientific understanding, conservation policies, and ecosystem management.

Savanna woody encroachment is widespread across three continents.

Tropical savannas are a globally extensive biome prone to rapid vegetation change in response to changing environmental conditions. Via a meta-analysis, we quantified savanna woody vegetation change spanning the last century. We found a global trend of woody encroachment that was established prior the 1980s. However, there is critical regional variation in the magnitude of encroachment. Woody cover is increasing most rapidly in the remaining uncleared savannas of South America, most likely due to fire suppression and land fragmentation. In contrast, Australia has experienced low rates of encroachment. When accounting for land use, African savannas have a mean rate annual woody cover increase two and a half times that of Australian savannas. In Africa, encroachment occurs across multiple land uses and is accelerating over time. In Africa and Australia, rising atmospheric CO2 , changing land management and rainfall are likely causes. We argue that the functional traits of each woody flora, specifically the N-fixing ability and architecture of woody plants, are critical to predicting encroachment over the next century and that African savannas are at high risk of widespread vegetation change.

Tyranny of trees in grassy biomes.

![Figure][1] Highland grassland in Brazil is considered a forest landscape restoration opportunity PHOTO: G. W. FERNANDES Tree planting, fire suppression, and exclusion of megafaunal herbivores (native or domestic) are ecologically reasonable restoration strategies in deforested landscapes

Ecological restoration of Xingu Basin headwaters: motivations, engagement, challenges and perspectives.

Over the past two decades, the headwaters of the Xingu Basin in the Amazon have been subjected to one of the highest deforestation rates in Brazil, with negative effects on both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The environmental consequences of forest land conversion have concerned the indigenous people living downstream, and this was the first motivation for the Y Ikatu Xingu campaign—‘save the good water of the Xingu’. Among the objectives of the initiative was to restore riparian forests on private land across the basin. For a region where the rivers, rainstorms, forest remnants, distances and farms are huge, the challenges were equally large: crossing the biotic and abiotic thresholds of degradation, as well as addressing the lack of technology, know-how, seeds, forest nurseries, trained personnel and roads, and the lack of motivation for restoration. After 6 years, despite the remarkable advances in terms of technical innovation coupled with a broad and effective social involvement, the restored areas represent only a small portion of those aimed for. The still high costs of restoration, the uncertainties of legislation and also the global economy have been strong forces constraining the expansion of restored forests. Additional efforts and strategies are necessary to overcome these barriers.

Cobertura de copas como indicador de desenvolvimento estrutural de reflorestamentos de restauração de matas ciliares no Médio Vale do Paranapanema, SP, Brasil

Much inspection efforts and funds have been expended with the aim of restoring riparian forests, in spite of the absence of clearly defined procedures to assess the reforested areas. In this study, canopy cover is analyzed as an indicator to be easily and precisely applied to evaluate the efficacy in forest restoration. Six reforested areas ranging from one to three years old, located at the Mid-Paranapanema Valey, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were included in the structural analysis that supported this study. Crown cover estimated by line interception showed significant correlations with age (r = 8140); height (r = 8002); basal area (r = 7949) and diameter at breast height - DBH (r = 7234) and was considered a suitable indicator to assess the structural evolution of planted riparian forests at the ages comprised by this study (up to 36 months). The best equation for estimating crown cover rate by line interception (Y) as a function of age (X) was determined (Y = a + b / X). Better equations can be obtained if the whole range of ages and site variation are considered.

The biodiversity cost of carbon sequestration in tropical savanna

Forest expansion into Brazilian savanna due to fire suppression causes precipitous species loss. Tropical savannas have been increasingly viewed as an opportunity for carbon sequestration through fire suppression and afforestation, but insufficient attention has been given to the consequences for biodiversity. To evaluate the biodiversity costs of increasing carbon sequestration, we quantified changes in ecosystem carbon stocks and the associated changes in communities of plants and ants resulting from fire suppression in savannas of the Brazilian Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot. Fire suppression resulted in increased carbon stocks of 1.2 Mg ha−1 year−1 since 1986 but was associated with acute species loss. In sites fully encroached by forest, plant species richness declined by 27%, and ant richness declined by 35%. Richness of savanna specialists, the species most at risk of local extinction due to forest encroachment, declined by 67% for plants and 86% for ants. This loss highlights the important role of fire in maintaining biodiversity in tropical savannas, a role that is not reflected in current policies of fire suppression throughout the Brazilian Cerrado. In tropical grasslands and savannas throughout the tropics, carbon mitigation programs that promote forest cover cannot be assumed to provide net benefits for conservation.

Plant invasions research in Latin America: fast track to a more focused agenda.

While many developed countries have invested heavily in research on plant invasions over the last 50 years, the immense region of Latin America has made little progress. Recognising this, a group of scientists working on plant invasions in Latin America met in Chile in late 2010 to develop a research agenda for the region based on lessons learned elsewhere. Our three main findings are as follows. (1) Globalisation is inevitable, but the resultant plant introductions can be slowed or prevented by effective quarantine and early intervention. Development of spatially explicit inventories, research on the invasion process and weed risk assessments can help prioritise and streamline action. (2) Eradication has limited application for plants and control is expensive and requires strict prioritisation and careful planning and evaluation. (3) Accepting the concept of novel ecosystems, new combinations of native and introduced species that no longer depend on human intervention, may help optimise invasive species management. Our vision of novel ecosystem management is through actions that: (a) maintain as much native biodiversity and ecosystem functionality as possible, (b) minimise management intervention to invasives with known impact, and (c) maximise the area of intervention. We propose the creation of a Latin American Invasive Plants Network to help focus the new research agenda for member countries. The network would coordinate research and training and establish funding priorities, develop and strengthen tools to share knowledge, and raise awareness at the community, governmental and intergovernmental levels about the social, economic and environmental costs of plant invasions.

Considerações sobre a legislação correlata à zona-tampão de unidades de conservação no Brasil

Buffer zones are areas around natural reserves under special laws, aiming at minimizing threats to the protected ecosystems. After analyzing the Brazilian legislation concerning the subject, we interpret buffer zones as a sort of limitation to the property rights. It is in the hands of the managers of protected areas, together with the licensing institutions, to indicate which activities are potentially of great impact and must have an environmental license to be permitted in the buffer zone of protected areas.

Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (Fabaceae): invasora ou ruderal?

Exotic species have not been recommended for degraded lands reforestation, since they are reported to invade natural ecosystems in the surrounding areas. Leucena leucocephala, a leguminous N fixing species, was introduced in Brazil and has been widely cultivated, especially to recover degraded soils. The potential of L. leucocephala to expand over the landscape and its persistence in the plant community in the long term was analyzed. A stand planted in 1983 was assessed, which was installed on a rocky soil, immerse in an agricultural matrix, where some native and planted forest patches exists. Over a 200 ha area, eleven distinct patches were surveyed, where all individuals from arboreal species (minimum height 50 cm) were identified and measured (dbh), to verify if the exotic species is expanding over areas where it has not been planted. In the stand where the species was planted, the community structure was assessed on the basis of relative density in size classes to verify if the proportion of the exotic species tends to increase with time, confirming persistence. Since, among the total of 4,599 individuals surveyed, not even a single individual of the species was recorded beyond the limits of the planted stand, invasion of natural ecosystems by Leucena leucocephala was refuted, the species being locally considered as ruderal. Even though a huge number of young individuals of L. leucocephala are regenerating under the planted trees, the relative density of the exotic species in the understorey tends to decrease with time. Apparently, some shade tolerant native species can slowly dominate the community in the future, taking advantage under light competition.