Skip to content

Simple ecological indicators benchmark regeneration success of Amazonian forests

Published Article

Brazil

Publication date: December 20, 2024

File format: URL

View resource

Using 448 regeneration plots across the Amazon, this study identifies the environmental drivers of forest regrowth and establishes robust indicators for assessing restoration success. By modeling optimal successional trajectories, the authors propose reference values for basal area, species diversity, structural heterogeneity and biomass after 20 years. These indicators offer a practical framework for governments and practitioners to evaluate progress and set targets aligned with global ecosystem restoration goals.

Subject Tags

  • Forest
  • Biodiversity
  • Habitat restoration

Abstract

Natural regeneration of Amazon forests offers a promising strategy to mitigate forest loss and advance the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. However, the vast variability in regeneration rates across environmental gradients and over time poses considerable challenges for assessing regeneration success and ecosystem services provision in human-modified landscapes. Here we compiled 448 plots from forest regeneration in the Amazon to investigate the drivers of regrowth capacity and identify robust ecological indicators. By modeling optimal successional trajectories, we estimated reference values for vegetation structure, diversity and functioning. After 20 years, successful regeneration should reach a minimum basal area of 14 m². ha−¹, at least 34 tree species per 100 individuals, a structural heterogeneity index of 0.27 and 123 Mg.ha−¹ of aboveground biomass. These straightforward indicators and reference values provide a foundational framework for governments and practitioners to assess success and establish targets for Amazon restoration efforts.

Citation

Giles, A. L., Schietti, J., Rosenfield, M. F., Mesquita, R. C., Vieira, D. L. M., Vieira, I. C., ... & Jakovac, C. C. (2025). Simple ecological indicators benchmark regeneration success of Amazonian forests (vol 5, 780, 2024). COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01949-9

TNC Authors

  • Milena F. Rosenfield
    The Nature Conservancy