Monitoring of Areas Undergoing Ecological Restoration
Details
Note: Yale School of the Environment (YSE) was formerly known as the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). News articles and events posted prior to July 1, 2020, refer to the School's name at that time.
Summary
Brazil’s Northeastern Biodiversity Corridor (CBNE, in Portuguese) contains a great diversity of endemic flora and fauna. In spite of its biological significance, the CBNE has suffered from a historical process of forest fragmentation and degradation. More recently, high-resolution satellite images show that only about 12% (380,000 ha) of its original extension remains, mostly as small remnants embedded in a sugar cane, agricultural matrix.
To address this regional reality, ecological restoration has been utilized to attempt the recovery of degraded areas and to maintain the remaining biodiversity of the forest fragments. To ensure that forest restoration efforts lead to the recovery of forests and their ecological processes, a monitoring protocol must be incorporated into the design restoration projects. The protocol will help to ensure that the restored areas are sustainable over time and will be able to attain the objectives of the ecological restoration project.
This course was designed to train the participants on the criteria and the indicators used to guide the monitoring of areas undergoing the process of ecological restoration in this region, and how these parameters can be verified throughout the duration of these projects. Additionally, participants will learn how the results of monitoring can lead to adaptive management that would help to make the necessary adjustments if the objectives are not being met.