International Business School of Hainan University, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
Department of Forest Conservation, Sampathpaya, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.
PeerJ. 2024 Sep 26;12:e18176. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18176. eCollection 2024.
Estimation of plant community composition, aboveground biomass and carbon stock is crucial for understanding forest ecology, strengthening environmental management, and developing effective tools and policies for forest restoration. This study was conducted in nine different forest reserves in Sri Lanka from 2012 to 2018 to examine the impact of community-based forest restoration (CBFR) on stand structural attributes, aboveground biomass, and carbon stock compared to state-managed forests. In total, 180 plots (90 plots in community-managed restoration blocks (CMRBs) and 90 plots assigned to state-managed restoration blocks (SMRBs)) were sampled at the study site. To conduct an inventory of standing trees, circular plots with a radius of 12.6 m (equivalent to an area of 500 square meters) were established. The Shannon diversity index, Allometric equations and Difference in Differences (DID) estimation were used to assess the data. Our study provides evidence of the positive impact of the CBFR program on enriching trees diversity. Considering stand structural attributes of both blocks showed higher trees density in the smaller diameter at breast height (DBH) category, indicating growth in both CMRBs and SMRBs. The results showed that tree biomass and carbon density were disproportionally distributed across the nine different forest reserves. On average, tree biomass and carbon density were higher in SMRBs (79.97 Mg ha, 37.58 Mg C ha) compared to CMRBs (33.51 Mg ha, 15.74 Mg C ha). However, CMRBs in Madigala reserve represent the highest biomass (56.53 and 59.92 Mg ha) and carbon density (26.57 and 28.16 Mg C ha). The results of biomass and carbon estimates were higher in all SMRBs in the nine different forest reserves compared to CMRBs. The findings suggest that future forest restoration programs in Sri Lanka should enhance participatory approaches to optimize tree species diversity, density and carbon storage, particularly in community-controlled forests. Our findings could assist developing tropical nations in understanding how CBFR impacts forest restoration objectives and improves the provision of ecological services within forests.
估算植物群落组成、地上生物量和碳储量对于理解森林生态、加强环境管理以及开发有效的森林恢复工具和政策至关重要。本研究于 2012 年至 2018 年在斯里兰卡的九个不同森林保护区进行，旨在比较基于社区的森林恢复（CBFR）与国家管理的森林对林分结构特征、地上生物量和碳储量的影响。在研究地点共抽取了 180 个样地（90 个位于社区管理的恢复区块（CMRBs），90 个位于国家管理的恢复区块（SMRBs））。为了对立木进行清查，在研究地点建立了半径为 12.6 米（相当于 500 平方米的面积）的圆形样地。采用 Shannon 多样性指数、异速生长方程和差分法（DID）估计来评估数据。本研究提供了 CBFR 计划对丰富树种多样性产生积极影响的证据。考虑到两个区块的林分结构特征，较小胸径（DBH）类别的树木密度更高，表明 CMRBs 和 SMRBs 都在生长。结果表明，九个不同森林保护区的树木生物量和碳密度分布不均。平均而言，SMRBs 的树木生物量和碳密度（79.97 Mg ha、37.58 Mg C ha）高于 CMRBs（33.51 Mg ha、15.74 Mg C ha）。然而，Madigala 保护区的 CMRBs 代表了最高的生物量（56.53 和 59.92 Mg ha）和碳密度（26.57 和 28.16 Mg C ha）。九个不同森林保护区中所有 SMRBs 的生物量和碳估计值均高于 CMRBs。研究结果表明，斯里兰卡未来的森林恢复计划应加强参与式方法，以优化树种多样性、密度和碳储存，特别是在社区控制的森林中。我们的研究结果可以帮助发展中热带国家了解 CBFR 如何影响森林恢复目标，并提高森林内生态服务的提供。
