Tropical Forest Community Ecology

Ecologists and Forest Conservation 483

and Pye-Smith 2003). Unfortunately, the high-
grade cabinet woods and many other products
harvested from natural forests are not likely to
be grown in plantations and their harvesting will
consequently continue. Perhaps if all the envi-
ronmental costs are considered, intensively man-
aged biomass plantations will be less attractive
recipients of PES and funds will become avail-
able for improved natural forest management.
Recent political discussions on including reduc-
ing emissions from deforestation and ecosystem
degradation (REDD) as a mechanism for carbon
sequestration in the follow-u pof the Kyoto proto-
col represents a step in that direction. Inclusion
of REDD in the Kyoto follow-u pwould im ply that
apartfromthenetsequestrationof carboninplan-
tations and reforestation projects, carbon credits
can also be obtained by securing the retention of
carbon in existing forests.

CONCLUSIONS: ROLES FOR

ECOLOGY AND ECOLOGISTS

Given the demonstrated and growing impacts of
forest certification and the substantial but yet
to be realized potential of environmental service
payments to alter the fates of tropical forests,
we suggest that ecologists should endeavour to
reinforce the scientific basis for these approaches.
Rather than just describing the problem of tropi-
cal forest loss in ever-increasing detail, bemoaning
the fates of these forests, and condemning those
most directly responsible for the destruction, ecol-
ogists should help to solve the complex problems
that are the root cause of deforestation and forest
degradation. Many of these problems are politi-
cal and social in nature, but others are ecological
and therefore appropriate for addressing with the
theories, tools, and methods in the portfolios of
ecologists (Sayer and Campbell 2004, Balmford
and Bond 2005).
There is no “one-size-fits-all” method for trop-
ical forest conservation (Figure 28.1; cf. Sayer
and Maginnis 2005). Instead, the appropriate
approaches are locally adapted, slow to develop,
subject to change, and otherwise idiosyncratic
if they are to resonate with local ecological,
social, economic, and political conditions. There

are dangers in oversimplification and in advo-

cating simple shortcuts, thereby disregarding the

multidimensional space in which tropical conser-

vation works. Conversely, there are also dangers

in expecting deeply entrenched social problems

to be solved before effective conservation can

happen. In any event, although long-lasting

solutions are not solely or even predominantly

ecological, ecologists nevertheless have much to

contribute.

Obviously, ecologists should avoid making rec-

ommendations that are socially inappropriate,

economically unviable, politically impossible, and

based on questionable science. For example, pro-

motersof strictpreservationastheonlyacceptable

approach to conservation in all contexts fail to

recognize the historical and continuing roles of

humans in tropical forests and the fact that

preservation is a luxury that typically cannot be

afforded and may not be preferred by disenfran-

chised and desperately poor people (Neumann

1997, Wilshusenet al. 2002, Doveet al. 2003).

Similarly, while explaining the coexistence of so

many species of tropical trees is high on the list

of research priorities of many ecologists from

developed countries, this is not a central issue in

the minds of most people, including those who

determine the fates of tropical forests (Kaimowitz

and Sheil 2007). Instead, research on issues such

as how to secure the regeneration and promote

the growth of merchantable species needs to

figure prominently in the research agendas of

those concerned with maintaining tropical forest

diversity against the forces causing deforestation

and widespread forest degradation. Carrying out

real-world, problem-solving research need not

imply any reduction in scientific rigor or less

emphasis on ecological theory, but in addition

to tallies of publications, citations, and research

grants, the impacts of applied research are mea-

sured in hectares of forest well managed, tons

of carbon sequestered, cubic meters of timber

sustainably logged, profits accrued to appropriate

stakeholders, management regulations adopted,

and human capacity built. That said, given that

mostconservationproblemsaremultidimensional

in origin, effective solutions are likely to reflect

sound multidisciplinary thinking. Applied ecolo-

gists intent on solving problems must therefore