Advancing the Management of Secondary Cloud Forests

Georg Forster Fellowship - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Secondary cloud forests (SCFs), those that regenerate naturally following abandonment of human activities in previously deforested land, are of great value as refuges of high species diversity and for their critical role in hydrological regulation. The increasing demand for forest resources, the need to maintain productive forests and the provision of important ecosystem services by secondary forests highlight the need to promote sustainable management of these systems.

The main goal of the research project is to advance our understanding of the dynamics and potential for sustainable management of SCFs in Mexico by: (1) identifying main biophysical, socio-economic and regulatory constraints hampering SCFs management, as well as key policies and strategies to overcome these constraints, (2) estimating the potential productivity of timber and its economic value, and (3) evaluating the success of restoration plantings in degraded areas.