Publication:
Effects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin.

dc.contributor.authorKleinschroth, F.
dc.contributor.authorHealey, J. R.
dc.contributor.authorGourlet-Fleury, S.
dc.contributor.authorMortier, F.
dc.contributor.authorStoica, R.S.
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-23T18:55:14Z
dc.date.available2022-01-23T18:55:14Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://open.fsc.org/handle/resource/532
dc.titleEffects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin.en
dcterms.abstractForest degradation in the tropics is often associated with roads built for selective logging. The pro- tection of intact forest landscapes (IFL) that are not accessible by roads is high on the biodiversity conservation agenda and a challenge for logging concessions certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). A frequently advocated conservation objective is to maximize the retention of roadless space, a concept that is based on distance to the nearest road from any point. We developed a novel use of the empty-space function – a general statistical tool based on stochastic geometry and random sets theory – to calculate roadless space in a part of the Congo Basin where road networks have been expanding rapidly. We compared the temporal development of roadless space in certified and uncertified logging concessions inside and outside areas declared IFL in 2000. Inside IFLs, road-network expansion led to a decrease in roadless space by more than half from 1999 to 2007. After 2007, loss leveled out in most areas to close to 0 due to an equilibrium between newly built roads and abandoned roads that became revegetated. However, concessions in IFL certified by FSC since around 2007 continuously lost roadless space and reached a level comparable to all other concessions. Only national parks remained mostly roadless. We recommend that forest-management policies make the preservation of large connected forest areas a top priority by effectively monitoring – and limiting – the occupation of space by roads that are permanently accessible.en
dcterms.accessRightsPublic
dcterms.accessRightsOpen access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationKleinschroth, F., Healey, J.R., Gourlet-Fleury, S., Mortier, F. and Stoica, R.S., 2017. Effects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin. Conservation Biology, 31(2), pp.469-480.en
dcterms.issued2017
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-NC-4.0en
dcterms.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
fsc.evidenceCategoryFSC impact-related
fsc.focus.forestTypeNatural Forest
fsc.focus.forestZoneTropical
fsc.focus.sustainDimensionEnvironmental
fsc.focus.tenureManagementPrivate
fsc.issue.environmentalForest disturbance, forest degradation
fsc.subjectIntact Forest Landscapes
fsc.subjectIFL
fsc.subjectForest disturbance
fsc.subjectForest degradation
fsc.subjectRoads
fsc.topic.environmentalIntact Forest Landscapes
fsc.topic.environmentalIFL
fsc.topic.environmentalRoads
is.availability.fullTextFull text available
is.contributor.funderTypePublic funds (government, EU funding, public research grants)
is.contributor.memberForest Stewardship Council
is.coverage.countryCameroon
is.coverage.countryCongo
is.coverage.countryCentral African Republic
is.coverage.countryAlpha2CM
is.coverage.countryAlpha2CG
is.coverage.countryAlpha2CF
is.coverage.geographicLevelCountry
is.coverage.latitude7.369722
is.coverage.latitude-0.228021
is.coverage.latitude6.611111
is.coverage.longitude12.354722
is.coverage.longitude15.827659
is.coverage.longitude20.939444
is.coverage.regionAfrica
is.evaluation.collectionMapping
is.evaluation.counterfactsYes
is.evaluation.dataSourceGeospatial data layers
is.evaluation.findingsThe results firstly show that in 2015, the difference in roadless space was not significantly different between FSC-certified and uncertified concessions, whether they are inside or outside IFLs. This means that the probability to find a road at any distance from a given point was similar in those categories. Only national parks had very few roads in comparison.
is.evaluation.findingsSecondly, since the delineation of IFLs in 2000, the authors found a clear increase in road density inside IFLs. Specifically, roadless space in uncertified concessions inside IFLs decreased a lot between 1999 and 2013 to reach values similar to those in concessions outsides IFLs. This decrease in roadless space inside IFLs was also detected in FSC-certified (since 2006) concessions. However, as of 2013, there were no difference in roadless space between certified and uncertified concessions. Outside IFLs, there were no large change in roadless space over time between certified and uncertified concessions (they were already relatively high in 1999).
is.evaluation.findingsThe fact that the development of roads in concessions did not slow down after FSC certification in 2006 is surprising, especially given that it stopped in non-FSC concessions (but one should remember that the road density in FSC concessions increased progressively, whereas it did much more abruptly in non-FSC ones). The authors suggest that since selective logging in the region focuses on only few timber species, 'expanding logging into previously unlogged areas is more lucrative than repeated logging in the same area (Laurance 2000)'. The fact that 'The only net losses of roadless space [we] recorded since 2007 occurred in FSC-certified concessions' could be partly explained by confounding variables. For instance 'Well-capitalized companies may have adopted both FSC certification and efficient means of exploitation, leading to a higher density of roads, whereas less-capitalized companies did not.' And, 'in concessions that have been logged previously, there is less likelihood of yielding high timber volumes in the present cycle and therefore companies may be less likely to accept the costs of FSC certification or to build many new roads.'
is.evaluation.findingsThe authors finally suggest that the protection of IFLs should not only be assigned to logging concessions but that it has to be approached at a large scale. And, given that 'The most important factor driving the reduction of roadless space was the position of roads in the overall forest landscape (roads built closer to forest edge have a less fragmenting effect than those in the center)', they suggest that 'forest road-building recommendations account for the spatial layout of the road network; include the size of forest areas that remain undissected by roads' in order to maintain large connected blocks of forests inaccessible to damaging human activity.
is.evaluation.outcomeyes
is.evaluation.quotesThe authors also noted that over time "In general, roadless space inside IFLs decreased dramatically", and that IFLs had the "highest probability of being subjected to a recent expansion of logging activities". This result comforts "the ongoing process of government leasing of concessions for areas of unlogged forest".
is.evaluation.scopeThis study compares roadless space between FSC-certified and uncertified logging concessions that are located inside and outside Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs), and national parks in the Congo Basin. The change in roadless space is analyzed from 1999 to 2015 for each management category thanks to satellite imagery and novel analytical methods.
is.evaluation.significanceStatistically significant
is.evidenceSubTypeEmpirical study - with matched control, data collected before and after intervention
is.evidenceTypeEmpirical study
is.focus.productsOther forestry and logging
is.focus.sdgSDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
is.focus.sectorsAgriculture
is.focus.sectorsForestry
is.focus.sustainDimensionEnvironmental
is.focus.sustainIssueForests and other ecosystems
is.focus.sustainLensLandscape approaches
is.focus.sustainOutcomeHabitat fragmentation or connectivity
is.focus.systemElementMandE outcomes and impacts
is.focus.systemElementMandE performance monitoring
is.identifier.codeImpacts
is.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12815
is.identifier.fscdoihttp://dx.doi.org/10.34800/fsc-international668
is.identifier.schemeNameForest Stewardship Council
is.identifier.schemeTypeVoluntary Sustainability Standards
is.item.reviewStatusPeer reviewed
is.journalNameConservation Biology
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