Logged tropical rainforests still support biodiversity even when the heat is on

By the University of Sheffield
Phys.org
October 19, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Tropical rainforests continue to buffer wildlife from extreme temperatures even after logging, a new study has revealed. Scientists had previously assumed that cutting down trees caused major changes to local climates within tropical forests – something which would have a devastating effect on the animals living there. However, new research conducted by the Universities of Sheffield, York and Universiti Malaysia Sabah, shows logged forests on the island of Borneo were thermally indistinguishable from the nearby pristine forest. This is good news for the huge diversity of globally important species that live in logged forests, which may have previously been further destroyed or converted into agricultural land. The international team of scientists examined the impact that commercial selective logging had on local temperature 9 – 12 years after the trees had been chopped down. 

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