Source: IIED

Few land disturbances impact watersheds at the scale and extent of mountaintop removal mining (MTM). This practice removes forests, soils and bedrock to gain access to underground coal that results in likely permanent and wholesale changes that impact catchment hydrology, geochemistry and ecosystem health. MTM is the dominant driver of land cover changes in the central Appalachian Mountains region of the United States, converting forests to mine lands and burying headwater streams.

Canadian forests are often perceived as pristine and among the last remaining wilderness, but the majority of them are officially managed and undergo direct land use, mostly for wood harvest. This land use has modified their functions and properties, often inadvertently (e.g., age structure) but sometimes purposefully (e.g., fire suppression). Based on a review of the literature pertaining to carbon cycling, climate regulation, and disturbances from logging, fire, and insect outbreaks, we propose five scientific principles relevant for Canadian managed forests.

Chinese and European privets are among the most aggressive invasive shrubs in forestlands of the southern United States. We analyzed extensive field data collected by the U.S. Forest Service covering 12 states to identify potential determinants of invasion and to predict likelihood of further invasion under a variety of possible management strategies.

The Top End region of the Northern Territory, Australia, is noted for its relatively unmodified natural state. To gain some insight into the potential for maintaining ecosystem health in this region we undertook a study that assessed the distribution of weeds across very extensive transects. This weed survey was distinct from other studies in that many of the sample sites were distant from tracks or other infrastructure. Twenty-one weed species were recorded along 2000 km of transects. Weeds were reported from 18.7% of the 718 sample points.

Relating population density to spatially explicit habitat characteristics can inform management by directing efforts to areas with lower densities or focusing conservation and land protection on high-density areas. We conducted point-transect surveys for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) and Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in the live-fire region of Fort Hood, Texas. We used mark—recapture distance sampling and combined a Horvitz-Thompson estimator with a habitat-based, resourceselection gradient to estimate spatially explicit density for both species.

1. A spatially-extensive data set of stream macroinvertebrate communities from 49 northern New Zealand sites sampled over a 10-year period was analysed to assess relationships between the environment (catchment land-cover, landscape position and regional-scale weather patterns), and (i) community persistence and stability based on the constancy of species occurrence (presence-absence) and abundance (per cent composition), respectively and (ii) the temporal variability of various community condition metrics. 2.

Feedbacks between climate warming and fire have the potential to alter Arctic and sub-Arctic vegetation. In this paper we assess the effects and interactions of temperature and wildfire on plant communities across the transition between the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Mackenzie Delta region, Northwest Territories, Canada. We sampled air temperatures, green alder (Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa) cover, growth, reproduction and age distributions, and overall plant community composition on burned and unburned sites across a latitudinal gradient.

Although human-related disturbance is usually detrimental for biodiversity, in some instances it can simulate natural processes and benefit certain species. Changes in the disturbance regime, both natural and human-driven, can affect species that rely on it. The Apennine yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata pachypus, an amphibian endemic to peninsular Italy, has declined throughout its range in the last 3 decades. We sought to identify the drivers of the decline in the region of Liguria, at the north-western limit of its distribution.

In dit rapport wordt een begripsdefinitie en een operationele definitie gegeven van `verrommeling¿. In de 72 1 x 1 km grids, die ook in de Steekproef Landschap worden gebruikt, is een oordeel gegeven aan de mate van verrommeling. Dit is gerelateerd aan het vóórkomen van storende elementen, de uitstraling ervan en aan landschapskenmerken zoals de afwisseling in gebruiksfuncties. Driekwart van de variantie in verrommelingsscore blijkt uit deze bepalende factoren te kunnen worden verklaard.

Complex couplings and feedback among climate, fire, and herbivory drive short- and long-term patterns of land cover change (LCC) in savanna ecosystems. However, understanding of spatial and temporal LCC patterns in these environments is limited, particularly for semi-arid regions transitional between arid and more mesic climates.