Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-scale study in Borneo, synthesizing responses from 82 variables categorized into four ecological levels spanning a broad suite of ecosystem properties: (i) structure and environment, (ii) species traits, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) ecosystem functions. Responses were highly heterogeneous and often complex and nonlinear. Variables that were directly impacted by the physical process of timber extraction, such as soil structure, were sensitive to even moderate amounts of logging, whereas measures of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning were generally resilient to logging but more affected by conversion to oil palm plantation.
DOI: 10.57711/ts9x-1z59
Author: Marsh CJ, Turner EC, Blonder BW, Bongalov B, Both S, Cruz RS, Elias DMO, Hemprich-Bennett D, Jotan P, Kemp V, Kritzler UH, Milne S, Milodowski DT, Mitchell SL, Pillco MM, Nunes MH, Riutta T, Robinson SJB, Slade EM, Bernard H, Burslem DFRP, Chung AYC, Clare EL, Coomes DA, Davies ZG, Edwards DP, Johnson D, Kratina P, Malhi Y, Majalap N, Nilus R, Ostle NJ, Rossiter SJ, Struebig MJ, Tobias JA, Williams M, Ewers RM, Lewis OT, Reynolds G, Teh YA, Hector A
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6955117738
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