What's more, about 90 percent of tree species from her old-growth plots are now growing in her younger plots, too. Many of those species appear as young saplings and seedlings, categories that previous studies had failed to look at. Bats, toucans, and other birds seem to be delivering seeds to the new forests, Chazdon said. Her findings suggest that conservation efforts should target the world's increasing number of second-growth forests, as they continue to protect the decreasing number of old growth forests. The research also points out that "pristine" might not be the most realistic goal when it comes to conservation. Still, the work is not a sign that deforestation is OK, cautioned ecologist Karen Holl, of the University of California, Santa Cruz. How quickly an abandoned pasture can recover depends on many factors --from how intensively the land was used to how close it is to a mature forest. In many places, second-growth forests are not faring nearly as well as the forests Chazdon has studied. And even where trees re-colonize and thrive, plenty of questions remain about whether the rest of the ecosystem will follow. "Yes, this is good news...but secondary forests are not a substitute for the original," Holl said. "You can copy a Rembrandt and it may look the same, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is exactly the same." Related Links: |
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