IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Simonetti, J.A.; Grez, A.A.; Estades, C.F. | |
| Providing habitat for native mammals through understory enhancement in forestry plantations | |
| 2013 Conservation Biology (27): 1117-1121 | |
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) expects forestry plantations to contribute to biodiversity conservation. A well-developed understory in forestry plantations might serve as a surrogate habitat for native species and mitigate the negative effect of plantations on species richness. We experimentally tested this hypothesis by removing the understory in Monterey pine (_Pinus radiata_) plantations in central Chile and assessing changes in species richness and abundance of medium-sized mammals. Frequency of occurrence of mammals, including kodkods (_Leopardus guigna_), culpeo foxes (_Pseudalopex culpaeus_), lesser grisons (_Conepatus chinga_), and Southern pudu deer (_Pudu puda_), was low in forest stands with little to no understory relative to stands with well-developed undergrowth vegetation. After removing the understory, their frequency of occurrence decreased significantly, whereas in control stands, where understory was not removed, their frequency did not change. This result strongly supports the idea that facilitating the development of undergrowth vegetation may turn forestry stands into secondary habitats as opposed to their containing no habitat for native mammals. This forestry practice could contribute to conservation of biological diversity as it pertains to CBD targets. |
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