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Talk:Ecological collapse

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Updated 2018

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I removed the Refimprove tag from 2013, I think there are enough references by now. Jrfep (talk) 13:40, 11 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Criticm of the "Rainforest collapse" section

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These comments were inserted inappropriately in the article itself, and have been transferred here. --Epipelagic (talk) 16:26, 19 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]


From the article...
Rainforest collapse refers to the actual past and theoretical future ecological collapse of rainforests. It may involve habitat fragmentation to the point where little rainforest biome is left, and rainforest species only survive in isolated refugia. Habitat fragmentation can be caused by roads. When humans start to cut down the trees for logging, secondary roads are created that will go unused after its primary use. Once abandoned, the plants of the rainforest will find it difficult to grow back in that area.[1] Forest fragmentation also opens the path for illegal hunting. Species have a hard time finding a new place to settle in these fragments causing ecological collapse. This leads to extinction of many animals in the rainforest.[2]

Comments - This citation does not support the claim that logging roads contribute to habitat fragmentation. It looks like the author did not read the study. In the discussion section, in the first sentence the study reads, “The persistence of scars in forest cover resulting from secondary logging roads is limited.” It goes on to say, “These roads are temporary elements in the landscape that vary in the timespan of their threat to the forest ecosystem. Open roads are considered worst for environmental damage and poor delivery of ecosystem services (Wilkie et al 2000, Laurance et al. 2009), but open roads mostly persisted for less than four years. This indicates that spontaneous re-vegetation follows road abandonment without major delays.” This study doesn’t talk about logging roads affecting forest fragmentation. It is about the regeneration rate of forest vegetation along abandoned logging roads. The article concludes that the recovery rate of vegetation on the abandoned logging road varies depending on some different factors, and special management is needed on poor soil types.

In a totally unrelated matter, forest fragmentation occurs when you start cutting down a large contiguous forest and building small sections of neighborhoods, parking lots, golf courses, etc. (changing the land use into to one that does not allow a forest to grow back). Eventually, after you cut down lots of different blocks forest and change their land-use, you are left with small, scattered blocks of forest that are surrounded by non-forested land. This is forest fragmentation. It makes it difficult for wildlife populations to move from one area of forest to another, it can prevent them from meeting their survival needs, and it can even cause extinctions. Forest fragmentation is a problem, but this article doesn’t have anything to do with forest fragmentation, and therefore it can’t be used to support the claim that logging roads cause forest fragmentation. Most animals can easily cross an abandoned road to get to another section of forest.

This study is talking about logging roads in forests where timber harvests take place and the forests are allowed to grow back. It was a scholarly article written by forestry academics who use science to attempt to manage forests properly. The person who referenced this study on this Wikipedia page clearly is not a forester, and obviously didn’t read and understand the article. The person tried to find an article that supported their opinion, they didn’t read the article, and the study actually contradicts their claim in the first sentence of the discussion section. I was trying to learn more about rainforest desertification as a result of improper silvicultural practices, and I came upon this pile of nonsense. I really respect Wikipedia and I have for quite a while. I’ve used it a lot. But that claim needs to be deleted, and every other entry from that author should be scrutinized because it is likely not based on truth or science. – originally added by 69.47.143.239 (talk) 09:07, 19 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ Kleinschroth, Fritz; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Sist, Plinio; Mortier, Fréderic; Healey, John R. (2015-04-01). "Legacy of logging roads in the Congo Basin: How persistent are the scars in forest cover?". Ecosphere. 6 (4): art64. doi:10.1890/ES14-00488.1. ISSN 2150-8925.
  2. ^ Kleinschroth, Fritz; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Sist, Plinio; Mortier, Fréderic; Healey, John R. (2015-04-01). "Legacy of logging roads in the Congo Basin: How persistent are the scars in forest cover?". Ecosphere. 6 (4): art64. doi:10.1890/ES14-00488.1. ISSN 2150-8925.

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

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The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 07:15, 30 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]