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Tropical Deforestation and Species Extinction

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Tropical Deforestation and Species Extinction Tropical Deforestation and Species Extinction IUCN – THE WORLD CONSERVATION UNION There are thousands of environmental organizations around the world – but the World Conservation Union is unique. It is the only one whose membership includes both governments and non-governmental organizations, providing a means to work together to achieve effective conservation action on the ground. IUCN's mission – to provide leadership and promote a common approach for the World Conservation Movement – translates into a practical aim to establish links between development and the environment that will provide a lasting improvement in the quality of life for people all over the world. The Union's work is increasingly decentralized and is carried forward by an expanding network of regional and country offices, located principally in developing countries and working in close partnership with headquarters. Specialist programmes, covering themes such as ecology, species conservation, habitat and natural resource management, and the relationship between population and the environment, draw on scientific input from around the world. They develop strategies and services to address today's critical international environment and development issues – and seek to anticipate and address those of tomorrow. This work is further strengthened via a network of six Commissions, drawing together dedicated and highly qualified volunteers into project teams and action groups – for results. THE IUCN COMMISSION ON ECOLOGY The IUCN Commission on Ecology (COE) serves as the Union's source of technical advice for translating knowledge of ecological processes into practical action for conservation, sustainable management and restoration, in particular areas degraded by human action. The IUCN programmes on Forest Conservation, Marine Conservation, Global Change and Wetlands are guided by the Commission on Ecology, whose members serve on advisory committees and in working groups associated with these programmes. THE IUCN FOREST CONSERVATION PROGRAMME The IUCN Forest Conservation Programme (formerly the IUCN Tropical Forest Programme) coordinates and reinforces activities of the IUCN members and Secretariat which deal with forests. The Programme focuses on the conservation of species and ecological processes, and on investigating and promoting sustainable use of the resources of these forests. The Programme includes international and national policy initiative strategies as well as field projects addressing selected problems in managing the world's most biologically significant forests. These selected projects put the World Conservation Strategy into action by reconciling the requirements of conservation with national development and the needs of the people living in forest areas. Special emphasis is given to the development of compatible uses for buffer zones around national parks and reserves. IUCN develops its positions and policies on the basis of the concerns and information communicated by members. Trends identified by monitoring activities, and the feedback from numerous field projects. Data on species on plants and animals, and on forest sites which are important for biological and ecosystem conservation, arc held by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, UK. This series of publications from the Forest Conservation Programme, in conjunction with regular meetings, enables IUCN to communicate policies and technical guidance to governments, major international institutions, development planners, and conservation professionals. The Programme works closely with development assistance agencies, governments and NGOs, to ensure that conservation priorities are adequately addressed in their activities. The Forest Conservation Programme receives generous financial support from the Government of Sweden. Tropical Deforestation and Species Extinction Edited by T.C. WHITMORE and J.A. SAYER CHAPMAN & HALL London · New York · Tokyo · Melbourne · Madras Published by Chapman Sc Hall, 2–6 Boundary Row, London SE1 8HN Chapman & Hall, 2–6 Boundary Row, London SE1 8HN, UK Chapman & Hall, 29 West 35th Street, New York NY10001, USA Chapman & Hall Japan, Thomson Publishing Japan, Hirakawacho Nemoto Building, 6F, 1–7–11 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102, Japan Chapman & Hall Australia, Thomas Nelson Australia, 102 Dodds Street, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205, Australia Chapman & Hall India, R. Seshadri, 32 Second Main Road, CIT East, Madras 600 035, India First edition 1992 © 1992 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Disc conversion in 10/12 pt Sabon by Columns, Reading, Berkshire Printed in Great Britain by St Edmundsbury Press, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk ISBN 0 412 45520 X Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the UK Copyright Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction only in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK, or in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the appropriate Reproduction Rights Organization outside the UK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publishers at the London address printed on this page. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Citation: Whitmore, T.C. and Sayer, J.A. (1992) Tropical Deforestation and Species Extinction. Chapman & Hall, London. xvii + 147 pp. Also available from IUCN Publications Services Unit, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, UK. The designations of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data available Contents Contributors ix Preface xi Foreword xv MARTIN W. HOLDGATE 1 Deforestation and species extinction in tropical moist forests 1 T.C. WHITMORE and J.A. SAYER Introduction 1 Rates of tropical moist forest destruction 2 Tropical forest area estimates compared 5 Tropical deforestation estimates compared 6 Species extinction 8 Conservation priorities 10 Conclusions 11 Summary 11 Acknowledgements 12 References 12 2 Species conservation in managed tropical forests 15 A. D. JOHNS Introduction 15 Background 19 The tree community 22 The fauna 28 Biodiversity conservation and sustainable management 45 Summary 49 References 50 3 How many species will there be? 55 W. V. REID Introduction 55 Estimating extinction rates due to tropical deforestation 57 Assumptions of the model 64 vi Contents Discussion 67 Summary 68 Acknowledgements 69 References 69 Appendix: deforestation of closed forests in tropical countries 71 4 Do species–area curves predict extinction in fragmented forest? 75 D. SIMBERLOFF Introduction 75 The species–area relationship 76 Fragmentation 79 Conclusions 85 Summary 86 References 86 5 Species extinctions in tropical forests 91 V.H. HEYWOOD and S.N. STUART Introduction 91 Field evidence for mass extinctions 93 Commitment to extinction 100 Predicting species loss 103 Effects of conservation action 108 Managing fragmented populations 110 Conclusions 113 Summary 114 Acknowledgements 114 References 114 6 Habitat alteration and species loss in Brazilian forests 119 K. S. BROWN and G. G. BROWN Tropical biodiversity, evolutionary erosion and species loss 119 Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and Atlantic regions 1500–1990 122 Species losses in the Atlantic forests 127 The influence of different patterns of human land use on species loss 129 The roots of deforestation and other irrational anti-economical land-use patterns 132 Conclusions on optimal strategies for conservation of species and genes in tropical forests 135 Summary 139 Dedication and acknowledgements 140 References 140 Contents vii 7 The influence of deforestation and selective logging operations on plant diversity in Papua New Guinea 143 R.J. JOHNS Introduction 143 Selective logging 145 Conclusions 146 Summary 146 References 146 Index 149 Contributors G.G. BROWN Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA. (present address: CP6588 Barão Geraldo, Campinas, Sao Paulo – 13032, Brazil) K.S. BROWN Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil V.H. HEYWOOD IUCN – Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK A.D. JOHNS Wildlife Conservation International, New York Zoological Society, Bronx Zoo, New York, USA. (present address: Makerere University Biological Field Station, PO Box 10066, Kampala, Uganda) R.J. JOHNS Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK W.V. REID World Resources Institute, Washington DC, USA J.A. SAYER Forest Conservation Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland D. SIMBERLOFF Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Florida, USA S.N. STUART Species Survival Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources,
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