Aude Valade

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on carbon monitoring and management in forests. The first chapter summarises the effects of different forest management practices on soil organic carbon storage and discusses whether and how they can be optimised under climate change. The second chapter considers the potential of agroforestry systems to respond to multiple challenges related to soil carbon sequestration, including soil fertility improvement, land restoration, food security and adaptation to climate change. The third chapter provides an update on advances in monitoring and reporting emissions from mostly tropical forests in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The chapter also discusses the development and submission of Action Plans for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). The fourth chapter examines the importance of forest carbon content and methods of monitoring it. The chapter also addresses whether forests should be considered as sources or sinks of carbon. The final chapter reviews the interactions between tropical forests and climate, the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle, as well as the impacts of climate change on forests in different parts of the tropics.

This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on ecosystem services delivered by forests. The first chapter summarises the current state of knowledge on the interactions between forest ecosystems and the climate system and the way in which forests influence the water cycle. The second chapter reviews the wealth of research on the range of species, functional groups and ecological processes which can develop as a result of the biodiversity in tropical forests. The chapter also considers the main threats to tropical forest biodiversity. The third chapter examines the importance of forest carbon content and the methods currently used to monitor it. The chapter also explores the mechanisms driving forest carbon storage and offers a considered discussion on whether forests should be considered sources or sinks of carbon. The fourth chapter highlights how sustainable forest management (SFM) can be used to maintain or enhance biodiversity in temperate and boreal forests. The chapter utilises two case studies to demonstrate successful implementation of SFM in Ireland and Canada. The final chapter considers the benefits of introducing agroforestry into agroecosystems, focussing on its influence on soil health. The chapter discusses the benefits of agroforestry systems on key soil physical, chemical and biological properties.