Abstract

There is an extensive ecological literature documenting the importance of fig trees (Ficus spp.) as providers of food and other resources for many tropical animals. What is less apparent is that some Fic-us species form free-standing stems that are targeted in logging operations. Despite the potential implications of such harvesting for biological conservation, the existence of this market has largely gone unrecognized by ecologists and conservation biologists. Here we describe the extent of this market in the Neotropics and discuss its implications for wildlife conservation and sustainable forestry. We find that large-scale commercial harvesting of Ficus timber primarily occurs in Bolivia, although some logging concessions in Peru and Brazil also harvest trees from this genus. Annually extracted volumes increased after records began being collected in Bolivia in 1998, peaked in 2005-2007 at approximately 34000 m(3)/year, but are currently relatively low, partly due to the effects of the global financial down-turn of 2008-2009. We suggest that this presents an opportunity to re-assess current Ficus harvesting policies before further market expansion and harvest intensification could occur. We emphasize that because selective logging maintains tree species composition, structure, and disturbance regimes to a much greater extent than forest-converting land-use alternatives, it is important that opportunities to ensure ecologically sustainable forest management are identified and acted upon. We therefore call on forest ecologists, certification agencies, and conservation biologists to engage with the issue of commercial scale harvesting of Ficus. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Ficus; Figs; Frugivores; Selective logging; Timber extraction

Published in

Biological Conservation
2013, Volume: 159, pages: 96-100
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Felton, Annika

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Australian National University
  • Institituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal

• Felton, Adam

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Australian National University
  • Institituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
SDG2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
SDG12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Botany
Zoology
Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.10.025

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/50213