Marisol Toledo

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Interpreting participatory Fuzzy Cognitive Maps as complex networks in the social-ecological systems of the Amazonian forests

EGUGA, Apr 1, 2015

Abiotic and biotic drivers of biomass change in a Neotropical forest

Journal of Ecology, Mar 27, 2017

1. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, but the drivers of net for... more 1. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, but the drivers of net forest biomass change (i.e. net carbon sequestration) are poorly understood. Here, we evaluate how abiotic factors (soil conditions and disturbance) and biotic factors (forest structure, diversity and community trait composition) shape three important demographic processes (biomass recruitment, growth and mortality) and how these underlie net biomass change. 2. To test this, we evaluated 9 years of biomass dynamics using 48 1-ha plots in a Bolivian tropical moist forest, and measured for the most abundant species eight functional traits that are important for plant carbon gain and loss. Demographic processes were related to the abiotic and biotic factors using structural equation models. 3. Variation in net biomass change across plots was mostly due to stand-level mortality, but mortality itself could not be predicted at this scale. Contrary to expectations, we found that species richness and trait compositionwhich is an indicator for the mass-ratio theoryhad little effect on the demographic processes. Biomass recruitment (i.e. the biomass growth by recruiting trees) increased with higher resource availability (i.e. water and light) and with high species richness, probably because of increased resource use efficiency. Biomass growth of larger, established trees increased with higher sand content, which may facilitate root growth of larger trees to deeper soil layers. 4. In sum, diversity and mass-ratio are of limited importance for the productivity of this forest. Instead, in this moist tropical forest with a marked dry season, demographic processes are most strongly determined by soil texture, soil water availability and forest structure. Only by simultaneously evaluating multiple abiotic and biotic drivers of demographic processes, better insights can be gained into mechanisms playing a role in the carbon sequestration potential of tropical forests and natural systems in general.

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Spatial patterns in species composition, forest structure and dynamic along environmental gradients in lowland forests of Bolivia

An Assessment of Soil Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Identifying Pre-Columbian Land Use in Amazonian Rainforests

Quaternary

Phytolith analysis is a well-established archaeobotanical tool, having provided important insight... more Phytolith analysis is a well-established archaeobotanical tool, having provided important insights into pre-Columbian crop cultivation and domestication across Amazonia through the Holocene. Yet, its use as a palaeoecological tool is in its infancy in Amazonia and its effectiveness for reconstructing pre-Columbian land-use beyond archaeological sites (i.e., ‘off-site’) has so far received little critical attention. This paper examines both new and previously published soil phytolith data from SW Amazonia to assess the robustness of this proxy for reconstructing pre-Columbian land-use. We conducted the study via off-site soil pits radiating 7.5 km beyond a geoglyph in Acre state, Brazil, and 50 km beyond a ring-ditch in northern Bolivia, spanning the expected gradients in historical land-use intensity. We found that the spatio-temporal patterns in palm phytolith data across our soil-pit transects support the hypothesis that pre-Columbian peoples enriched their forests with palms over...

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Efecto de la pérdida de cobertura natural sobre la flora endémica del Área Tropical Importante para Plantas (TIPA) Concepción (Santa Cruz, Bolivia)

Revista de Biologia Neotropical, Dec 24, 2022

Resumen: En el presente estudio se inventarió la riqueza de taxones endémicos que habitan en el Á... more Resumen: En el presente estudio se inventarió la riqueza de taxones endémicos que habitan en el Área Tropical Importante para Plantas (TIPA) Concepción, así como el efecto de la pérdida de la cobertura natural sobre estos atributos florísticos. El inventario fue realizado mediante fuentes de datos primarios (prospecciones de campo) y secundarios (bases de datos y especímenes de herbarios). La pérdida de la cobertura vegetal fue determinada mediante el análisis multitemporal de imágenes satelitales de tres periodos de tiempo (19902000, 20012010, 20112020). Basados en los registros históricos e inventarios de campo, un total de 28 taxones endémicos fueron inventariados (dos son nuevas especies para la ciencia). El endemismo que resguardan los hábitats que conforman el paisaje del área de estudio resultó distinto cuando comparados unos con otros (<30% de similaridad). Hasta el 2020, la cobertura natural se redujo progresivamente al 72.6%, bajo una tasa de pérdida anual de 0,88% ± 0,27%. Como consecuencia de la pérdida de la cobertura vegetal, ocho

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Estructura forestal y regeneración natural de poblaciones del pino de monte (Podocarpus parlatorei Pilg.) en el Departamento de Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Ecología Austral

Radial growth of two timber species, Yesquero Blanco (Cariniana ianeirensis) and Serebó (Schizolobium parahyba) in a humid forest in the Province Guarayos, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Bolivia Ecológica, 2015

D3.1.2: A handbook for the participatory process in ROBIN: Development of methods for local stakeholder meetings

Understanding environmental change through the eyes of locals: a comparative analysis in tropical rainforest agro-ecosystems in Bolivia and Brazil

In recent decades, tropical rainforests have been subject to extensive deforestation, being respo... more In recent decades, tropical rainforests have been subject to extensive deforestation, being responsible of most of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth. The causes behind such deforestation are complex, but can be largely attributed to agricultural expansion, infrastructure development and timber extraction. Numerous strategies and initiatives have been designed to preserve and restore tropical forests, particularly in the Amazon basin, the most biodiverse region in the world. However, the success of such strategies is determined by the context of countries in which they are developed, the causes of deforestation in those countries and the response at local level. This paper studies the major processes of environmental change through the eyes of locals in two tropical rainforest agro-ecosystems of the Amazon basin, the Bolivia lowlands of Guarayos and the Brazil Tapajos National forest. A comparative analysis between the two case studies is performed to analyze local perceptions within...

Trayectorias de crecimiento radial de especies maderables, yesquero blanco (Cariniana ianeirensis) y serebó (Schizolobium parahyba) en un bosque subhúmedo de la provincia Guarayos (Santa Cruz - Bolivia)

Dendrochronology allows to study variations in the growth of the trees. The following research qu... more Dendrochronology allows to study variations in the growth of the trees. The following research questions were addressed: The growth trajectories of yesquero blanco (Cariniana ianeirensis Kunth) and serebo (Schizolobium parahyba Vell S. F. Blake) species that belong to different ecological guilds? And how these changes in trajectories is due to precipitation or are a consequence of their local adaptative strategies. Objectives were 1) to asses if rings are formed annually in the stem of yesquero blanco and serebo and 2) to evaluate changes in the growth trajectories of these species. We collected 207 samples of cores and disks from La Chonta (Prov. Guarayos) and the privately farm Don Humberto (Prov. Sara). We applied standard dendrochronological method. The annual ring formation in yesquero blanco was shown with a positive correlation between the average width of the ring and the annual precipitation (r = 0,73; p = 0,003). In serebo there was no synchronized growth, but we found pro...

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The Forest Observation System, building a global reference dataset for remote sensing of forest biomass

Scientific Data, 2019

Forest biomass is an essential indicator for monitoring the Earth’s ecosystems and climate. It is... more Forest biomass is an essential indicator for monitoring the Earth’s ecosystems and climate. It is a critical input to greenhouse gas accounting, estimation of carbon losses and forest degradation, assessment of renewable energy potential, and for developing climate change mitigation policies such as REDD+, among others. Wall-to-wall mapping of aboveground biomass (AGB) is now possible with satellite remote sensing (RS). However, RS methods require extant, up-to-date, reliable, representative and comparable in situ data for calibration and validation. Here, we present the Forest Observation System (FOS) initiative, an international cooperation to establish and maintain a global in situ forest biomass database. AGB and canopy height estimates with their associated uncertainties are derived at a 0.25 ha scale from field measurements made in permanent research plots across the world’s forests. All plot estimates are geolocated and have a size that allows for direct comparison with many ...

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Abiotic and biotic drivers of biomass change in a Neotropical forest

Journal of Ecology, 2017

Summary Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, but the drivers of ne... more Summary Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, but the drivers of net forest biomass change (i.e. net carbon sequestration) are poorly understood. Here, we evaluate how abiotic factors (soil conditions and disturbance) and biotic factors (forest structure, diversity and community trait composition) shape three important demographic processes (biomass recruitment, growth and mortality) and how these underlie net biomass change. To test this, we evaluated 9 years of biomass dynamics using 48 1‐ha plots in a Bolivian tropical moist forest, and measured for the most abundant species eight functional traits that are important for plant carbon gain and loss. Demographic processes were related to the abiotic and biotic factors using structural equation models. Variation in net biomass change across plots was mostly due to stand‐level mortality, but mortality itself could not be predicted at this scale. Contrary to expectations, we found that species richness an...

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Memorias del IV Congreso Boliviano de Ecología

Amazonian Dark Earth Shapes the Understory Plant Community in a Bolivian Forest

Biotropica, 2015

Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) are the result of human modification of the Amazonian landscape since... more Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) are the result of human modification of the Amazonian landscape since pre-Columbian times. ADE are characterized by increased soil fertility compared to natural soils. In the Amazonian forest, soil fertility influences understory herb and fern species composition. However, little research has been done to evaluate the effect of ADE on the composition of the understory community. We evaluated the effects of ADE and soil in 36 plots (150 m 9 4 m) established in a Bolivian moist forest (La Chonta). For each plot, we determined soil nutrients, and the composition, richness, and abundance of terrestrial fern, angiosperm herb, and understory palm species. We found that the presence of ADE created a gradient in soil nutrients and pH that affected the understory species composition especially of ferns and palms. Additionally, the higher nutrient concentration and more neutral soil pH on ADE soils caused a decrease of ferns species richness. We therefore conclude that the current composition of the understory community in this particular Bolivian forest is a reflection of past human modifications of the soil.

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Ecología y manejo de los bosques de producción forestal del Bajo Paraguá, Bolivia

Los bosques tropicales de la región del Bajo Paraguá son una transición entre el bosque seco chiq... more Los bosques tropicales de la región del Bajo Paraguá son una transición entre el bosque seco chiquitano y el bosque amazónico. Esta región fue clasi_ cada como una de las reservas forestales más importantes por la cantidad de especies maderables y no maderables existentes. Además, en la zona fue creado el Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado para resguardar in situ la gran diversidad de _ ora y fauna del área. El objetivo de este libro fue recopilar la información existente sobre la ecología de sus bosques y especies forestales con la _ nalidad de promover mejores prácticas de manejo, incluyendo la silvicultura. La información presentada en este libro proviene principalmente de un grupo de parcelas experimentales (parcelas de 20 ha con diferentes intensidades de aprovechamiento y aplicación de tratamientos silviculturales) que fueron instaladas y monitoreadas por el IBIF, en el lapso de 4 años, gracias al apoyo brindado por la WWF. Se instalaron y monitorearon 4 parcelas, los cuales ...

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The Chiquitano Dry Forest, the Transition between Humid and Dry Forest in Eastern Lowland Bolivia

Systematics Association Special Volumes, 2006

... An electronic version of this map can be obtained from the Museo Noel Kempff web site (http:/... more

Examining the sustainability and development challenge in agricultural-forest frontiers of the Amazon Basin through the eyes of locals

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2019

The Amazon basin is the world's largest rainforest and the most biologically diverse place on Ear... more The Amazon basin is the world's largest rainforest and the most biologically diverse place on Earth. Despite the critical importance of this region, Amazon forests continue inexorably to be degraded and deforested for various reasons, mainly a consequence of agricultural expansion. The development of novel policy strategies that provide balanced solutions, associating economic growth and environmental protection, is still challenging, largely because the perspective of those most affected-local stakeholders-is often ignored. Participatory Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) was implemented to examine stakeholder perceptions towards the sustainable development of two agricultural-forest frontier areas in the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon. A series of development scenarios and a climate change scenario were explored and applied to stakeholder derived FCM. Stakeholders in both regions perceived landscapes of socioeconomic impoverishment and environmental degradation driven by governmental and institutional deficiencies. Under such abject conditions, governance and well-integrated social and technological strategies offered socioeconomic development, environmental conservation, and resilience to climatic changes. The results suggest the benefits of a new type of thinking for development strategies in the Amazon basin, and that continued application of traditional development policies reduce the resilience of the Amazon to climate change, whilst limiting socioeconomic development and environmental conservation.

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Biodiversity recovery of Neotropical secondary forests

Science Advances, 2019

Tropical secondary forests recover quickly (decades) in tree species richness but slowly (centuri... more

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Biomass resilience of Neotropical secondary forests

Nature, Feb 3, 2016

Land-use change occurs nowhere more rapidly than in the tropics, where the imbalance between defo... more Land-use change occurs nowhere more rapidly than in the tropics, where the imbalance between deforestation and forest regrowth has large consequences for the global carbon cycle. However, considerable uncertainty remains about the rate of biomass recovery in secondary forests, and how these rates are influenced by climate, landscape, and prior land use. Here we analyse aboveground biomass recovery during secondary succession in 45 forest sites and about 1,500 forest plots covering the major environmental gradients in the Neotropics. The studied secondary forests are highly productive and resilient. Aboveground biomass recovery after 20 years was on average 122 megagrams per hectare (Mg ha(-1)), corresponding to a net carbon uptake of 3.05 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1), 11 times the uptake rate of old-growth forests. Aboveground biomass stocks took a median time of 66 years to recover to 90% of old-growth values. Aboveground biomass recovery after 20 years varied 11.3-fold (from 20 to 225 Mg ha...

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Densidad poblacional y efecto del aprovechamiento forestal en la regeneración natural y el crecimiento diamétrico de la mara (Swietenia macrophylla King)

Marisol Toledo

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