Quantifying carbon and amphibian co-benefits from secondary forest regeneration in the Tropical Andes

Basham, E. W., González del Pliego, P., Acosta-Galvis, A. R., Woodcock, P., Medina Uribe, C. A., Haugaasen, T., Gilroy, J. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7597-5780 and Edwards, D. P. (2016) Quantifying carbon and amphibian co-benefits from secondary forest regeneration in the Tropical Andes. Animal Conservation, 19 (6). pp. 548-560. ISSN 1367-9430

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Abstract

Tropical land-use change is a key driver of global declines in biodiversity and a major source of anthropogenic carbon emissions, yet there is a substantial shortfall in the funding available to tackle these issues. We urgently need mechanisms that can simultaneously tackle both biodiversity and carbon losses, with carbon-based payments for ecosystem services (e.g. REDD+) of particular interest. A critical question is whether such payments offer strong carbon–biodiversity co-benefits via the regrowth of forests on abandoned farmlands (carbon enhancements) for amphibians, which are the most threatened vertebrate group and reach the greatest richness of threatened and small-ranged species in the montane tropics (>1000 m a.s.l.). Here, we study changes in amphibian communities across a typical Andean habitat transition from cattle pasture through secondary forests (8–35 years) to primary forest. As secondary forests mature, they recovered the abundance, species richness, species composition and Red-listed (near threatened and threatened) species typically found in primary forest. By contrast, cattle pasture contained much lower richness of Red-listed species and a different species composition compared to forest. We then reveal positive relationships between carbon stocks and amphibian species richness and abundance, Red-listed species richness and abundance and the similarity of communities to primary forests, confirming significant carbon–biodiversity co-benefits. Our results underscore the high conservation value of secondary forests and the strong potential for carbon and biodiversity recovery. Using carbon-based funding initiatives to support the regrowth of forests on marginal agricultural land is therefore likely to conserve threatened biodiversity in the Tropical Andes.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: anurans,carbon stocks,colombian andes,land abandonment,montane cloud forest,reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation,secondary forest regrowth,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology
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Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 06 Jun 2016 14:00
Last Modified: 12 May 2023 00:10
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/59223
DOI: 10.1111/acv.12276

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