Climate and Landscape Change in Borneo's Rainforest 2013

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The Research Climate and Landscape Change in Borneo’s Rainforest The Story Until the mid-20th century, Borneo was almost completely covered with rainforests. But over recent decades, these havens for wildlife, particularly the lowland forests, have been subject to intensive industrial-scale logging or have been cleared to make way for plantations. These activities have threatened the crucial ecosystem services the forests provide, such as carbon storage and sequestration, soil stabilization, and watershed protection, as well as many of the island’s plant and animal species: the forests still provide crucial habitat for over 15,000 species of flowering plants, more than 220 species of mammals, 420 species of birds, more than 250 reptiles, almost 150 amphibians, over 400 species of freshwater fish, and many tens of thousands of species of insects and other invertebrates. The forests that do remain are often highly degraded or scattered as small fragments embedded within inhospitable agricultural landscapes. It is these forests, rather than the remaining pockets of protected primary forest, that now support much of the island’s biodiversity and are critically important in maintaining overall ecosystem functioning. The regenerative capacity and long-term viability of degraded and fragmented forests are unclear—especially their degree of resilience to the impacts of climate change. Droughts associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—ENSO events are associated with shifts in oceanic currents off the Gulf of Mexico which influence weather patterns globally— that are projected to become more frequent and severe as a result of the changing climate, may prove to be particularly damaging. There is also evidence that the wet La Niña phase of the ENSO cycle is becoming more intense, leading to an increase in the frequency and magnitude of large rainstorms, which leads to severe soil erosion, landslides, and leaching of nutrients from the 6 Climate and Landscape Change in Borneo’s Rainforest 2013
soil. The combined effects of ENSO events and of forest loss, fragmentation, and degradation may be adversely affecting recruitment and regeneration of the dipterocarps (a family that includes about 500 tree species), the most important group of tree species of the Southeast Asian rainforests. Borneo’s forests may require some form of rehabilitation if they are to survive. Research Aims The overall goal of this project is to maintain the biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and conservation value of the Bornean rainforest in the face of changes in climate and land use. We study both pristine forests and forests with various degrees of disturbance and fragmentation. Our research has four main objectives: To assess baseline levels of plant diversity (as a measure of overall biodiversity), we measure plant diversity in forests with different levels of disturbance and in forest patches of different sizes. To assess how restoration of forest can best be achieved, we monitor the survival and growth of planted tree seedlings. To assess the ability of degraded and fragmented forest to maintain ecosystem functioning, we measure rates of decomposition of leaf litter and the levels of consumption of planted and naturally regenerating seedlings by insects. To establish the susceptibility of forests to erosion, we measure soil moisture levels and the amount of soil erosion and deposition over the year and after major rainstorms. How You Will Help Depending on research needs, you’ll help with some of the following: Assessing the presence and density of tree seedlings Helping to measure seedling survival and growth over time and planting new seedlings Measuring plant mass to assess how much carbon they contain Taking basic measurements of habitat and forest structure Assessing basic ecosystem processes, such as carbon storage and decomposition Collecting, sorting, and pressing plant specimens Collecting and sorting specimens of insects and other animals Maintaining leaf litter traps, which capture falling leaves, or leaf litter bags, which are filled with leaf litter and then monitored for decomposition Taking rainfall measurements Measuring soil moisture Assessing topography, vegetation types, and canopy cover Measuring soil erosion Collecting and analyzing soil samples. Climate and Landscape Change in Borneo’s Rainforest 2013 7
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Climate and Landscape Change in Borneo's Rainforest 2013

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