The large South American animals that dominate nature documentaries, including jaguars and tapirs, are the species most likely to be locally extirpated [wiped out]. While such species require extensive areas of healthy forest habitat to survive, deforestation leaves them with less each year. In addition to suffering from loss of habitat, high hunting pressure has resulted in their local extirpation in many areas. Now there is increasing evidence that loss of these animals will affect the ecosystem services tropical forests provide, including food for indigenous peoples and the carbon storage that mitigates global climate change.
the logging roads photographed by camera traps
In recognition of these threats, some scientists argue that logged forests should be used to complement national parks and improve forest connectivity. Tropical forests managed primarily for the extraction of timber and other forest products cover over 400 million hectares, half of all tropical forests. It seems logical that more responsible logging could improve the suitability of these managed tropical forests for wildlife, but it is still poorly known whether large animals tolerate logging because so many logged forests are also over hunted.
A new study, led by Anand Roopsind and researchers from the University of Florida, Stanford University, and James Cook University, sheds light on the impacts of responsible tropical forest management practices on large animals. In a forest in Guyana, they quantified the impacts on wildlife from the combination of subsistence hunting by indigenous peoples and reduced-impact logging.
The multiple-use forest, where the study was conducted, known as the Iwokrama Forest, integrates logging, tourism, and full legal access and user rights for local indigenous communities. The authors used laser-triggered camera traps to collect pictures of animals in logged and unlogged forests and worked with local communities to collect hunting data, which included maps where hunting occurred, species, and numbers of animals hunted. They observed very similar levels of animal diversity and activity in the logged and unlogged forests. Pumas and jaguars, the largest carnivores, also favoured the logged areas. Where hunting pressure was highest, fewer of these animals were photographed, but their populations were still sustained. According to co-author, Professor Francis Putz said: “Although the study was limited to one site, it showed that populations of large animals are retained in selectively logged forest, but the importance of Iwokrama’s control of poaching should not be underestimated.”
How has Iwokrama been able to implement sustainable logging while conserving wildlife? First, it prohibits hunting, other than for subsistence purposes by indigenous people. This policy conserves wildlife while enabling indigenous people to continue their customary livelihood practices. Second, the indigenous communities that traditionally used these forests are shareholders in the timber business. Third, the forestry operations are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which has high standards for socially and environmentally responsible logging.
Dr Raquel Thomas, a director at Iwokrama, believes that “Iwokrama is meeting its mandate of contributing to the science that will improve tropical forest management. A large component of that mandate involves working with communities who are the traditional custodians of these forests. Iwokrama can share these lessons with the global conservation community to build more sustainable models for forest utilisation and conservation of biodiversity”.
The researchers emphasized that further exploration is needed of forestry practices that maintains biodiversity, especially the populations of large animals.
Text provided by Dr Anand Roopsind, whose background is in forestry/conservation. Roopsind recently completed his PhD at the University of Florida and hopes to have a positive influence on forest conservation in Guyana. The information featured today was done for a recent publication on Iwokrama as part of Roopsind’s studies. It highlights important findings for wildlife management in timber concessions in Guyana. Roopsind and his team found that logging isn’t the main threat to wildlife, rather the synergy that occurs when access in not controlled. Illegal hunters use the roads and deplete wildlife populations. He also found that hunting by indigenous peoples for food didn’t have a negative impact.
