Restoring land for livelihoods can bring ecological benefits, study shows

Studying a banyan tree at a restoration site, an invasive shrub Lantana get rid. Photo Credit: Pooja Choksi

According to published in restore ecology.

The research was led by restoration ecologist Pooja Choksi, a recent Columbia University graduate and co-founder of Dhvani, a long-term acoustic research collaboration. She and her colleagues used tape recorders to monitor changes in the soundscape following a restoration project in Madhya Pradesh, India.their findings may be repair work Performed all over the world.

Don’t be fooled by its beautiful flowers. lantana camera, was originally introduced to India by British colonists in the 1800s, making it difficult for native trees to germinate. Photo Credit: Pooja Choksi

In 2017, the local community, together with the state forestry department and the Ecosafety Foundation, began removing invasive shrubs, Lantana, from a forest in the Mandela district of Madhya Pradesh. The shrub was first introduced by British colonists in the 1800s, making it difficult for native trees to germinate, a problem not only for wildlife but also for the people who depend on the trees for firewood and other products.

While the restoration work in the Mandela district was intended to benefit the local people, Choksi and her colleagues wanted to see how the work would affect the area’s biodiversity.They tied recorders to trees in three types of areas: restored areas, forests with low natural densities Lactobacillus camaraand forests with high densities of invasive shrubs. They left the loggers in place for two years and used the data collected to understand the impact of the restoration.

Woman climbs up tree trunk to get recording equipment

Pooja Choksi installing acoustic monitors on trees. Photo: Sarika Khanwilkar

The researchers found that the composition of bird communities at the restored sites differed—for example, although the total number of birds was the same at all sites, the researchers observed that the restored sites appeared to have fewer generalist species than the non-restored sites. However, it is unclear how these changes affect the ecological Whether the system is positive or negative.

“We’re just looking at this as a sign that the habitat has changed,” Choksi said. “Given how slowly tropical dry forests regenerate, I think it will be a few years before changes, if any, are seen in these forests.”

The findings showed that restored sites had more vibrant soundscapes, “which is often a positive sign of ecological health,” Choksi said. However, she cautions that this could be a temporary effect of the animals reorganizing after the disruption. Lactobacillus camara move.

Small-scale restoration efforts designed to help meet livelihood needs may contribute small short-term biodiversity benefits, the researchers concluded.

Man holds a gray box with three large batteries and an electronic chip

A close look at one of the acoustic monitoring devices used in the study. Photo Credit: Sarika Khanwilkar

The United Nations named the period 2021-2030 as “theA Decade of Ecosystem Restorationwith the goal of preventing and reversing the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and every ocean. As a result, numerous restoration efforts are underway and planned around the world, including in India. As these restoration efforts take place, long-term societal and ecological impacts, and new research suggests that measuring soundscapes may be an effective way to do so.

Co-authors of the study include Ruth de Vries, Vijay Rameshand Sarika Hanvirka Columbia University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology; Mayuri Kotian, Siddharth Biniwale, Pravar Mourya of the Dhvani Project; independent researcher Devendra Korche; and Meghna Agarwala of Ashoka University.