Testing the effectiveness of the forest integrity assessment: A field‐based tool for estimating the condition of tropical forest. Issue 2 (11th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Suggitt, Andrew J.; Yeong, Kok Loong; Lindhe, Anders; Agama, Agnes; Hamer, Keith C.; Reynolds, Glen; Hill, Jane K.; Lucey, Jennifer M.
• Is Part Of: Ecological solutions and evidence. Volume 2:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-05-11
• Subjects: ecological integrity -- forest quality -- forest set‐aside -- high carbon stock -- human‐modified -- rapid assessment -- tropical ecology; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 333.72
• DOI: 10.1002/2688-8319.12067
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2688-8319

Abstract

Abstract: Global targets to halt biodiversity losses and mitigate climate change will require protecting rainforest beyond current protected area networks, necessitating responsible forest stewardship from a diverse range of companies, communities and private individuals. Robust assessments of forest condition are critical for successful forest management, but many existing techniques are highly technical, time‐consuming, expensive or require specialist knowledge. To make assessment of tropical forests accessible to a wide range of actors, many of whom may be limited by resources or expertise, the High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN), with the SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), developed a South East Asian version of the Forest Integrity Assessment (FIA) tool as a rapid (< 1 hour) method of assessing forest condition in the field, where non‐experts respond to 50 questions about characteristics of the local environment while walking a site transect. Here, we examined the effectiveness of this survey tool by conducting ∼ 1000 assessments of forest condition at 16 tropical rainforest sites with varying levels of disturbance in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We found good agreement ( R ‐squared range: 0.50–0.78) between FIA survey scores and independent measures of forest condition, including biodiversity, vegetation structure, aboveground carbon and other key metrics of ecosystem function, indicating that the tool performed well. Although there was variation among assessor responses when surveying the same forest sites, assessors were consistent in their ranking of those sites, and prior forest knowledge had a minimal effect on the FIA scores. Revisions or further training for questions where assessors disagree, for example, on the presence of fauna at a site, could improve consistency. We conclude that the FIA survey tool is a robust method of assessing forest condition, providing a rapid and accessible means of forest conservation assessment. The FIA tool could be incorporated into management practices in a wide range of forest conservation schemes, from sustainability standards, to community forestry and restoration initiatives. The tool will enable more organizations and individuals to understand the conservation value of the forests they manage and to identify areas for targeted improvements. Abstract : Robust assessments of forest condition are critical for successful forest management, but many existing techniques are highly technical, time‐consuming, expensive, or require specialist knowledge. Here, we examined the effectiveness of the rapid (<1hr) FIA survey tool by conducting ∼ 1, 000 assessments of forest condition at 16 tropical rainforest sites with varying levels of disturbance in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We found good agreement between FIA scores and independent measures of forest condition‐ including biodiversity and carbon‐ indicating that the FIA tool is robust, and therefore suitable for incorporation into management practices in a wide range of forest conservation schemes. Bahasa Malaysia: Sasaran global untuk menghentikan kerugian biodiversiti dan mengurangkan/mengatasi perubahan iklim akan memerlukan perlindungan hutan hujan yang melangkaui rangkaian kawasan perlindungan sedia ada dan pengawasan hutan daripada pelbagai kumpulan, komuniti dan individu. Penilaian keadaan hutan yang menyeluruh adalah kritikal bagi menjamin pengurusan hutan yang berjaya, namun kebanyakan kaedah yang sedia ada adalah sangat teknikal, mengambil masa yang lama, mahal dan memerlukan kepakaran. Bagi memudahkan akses kepada penilaian hutan tropika kepada pelbagai pelaku, yang kebanyakannya mungkin dibatasi oleh sumber atau kepakaran, High Conservation Value Resource Network dan SE Asia Rainforest Partnership telah membangunkan Forest Integrity Assessment, FIA versi Asia Tenggara sabagai kaedah pantas (< 1 jam) untuk menilai keadaan hutan di sesebuah tapak di mana pengguna amatur perlu menjawab 50 soalan mengenai ciri‐ciri persekitaran tempatan semasa berjalan melintasi transek tapak. Di sini, kami mengkaji keberkesanan survei FIA dengan melakukan ∼ 1000 penilaian keadaan hutan di 16 tapak lokasi hutan hujan tropika yang mempunyai pelbagai tahap gangguan/ancaman di Sabah, Malaysia Borneo. Kami menemukan perbahasan yang bagus (julat R‐squared: 0.50–0.78) diantara skor survei FIA dengan pengukuran bebas terhadap keadaan hutan, termasuk biodiversiti, struktur vegetasi, karbon di atas permukaan tanah dan matriks utama yang lain seperti fungsi ekosistem, menunjukkan bahawa FIA berfungsi dengan baik. Walaupun terdapat variasi di antara jawapan yang diberikan oleh penilai ketika melakukan survei di hutan yang sama, penilai adalah konsisten dalam memberikan ranking kepada tapak tersebut, dan pengetahuan hutan sebelumnya memberikan kesan minima kepada skor FIA. Penyemakan atau latihan lanjut untuk soalan‐soalan yang tidak dipersetujui penilai, seperti kehadiran fauna di sesebuah tapak, boleh meningkatkan konsistensi. Kami menyimpulkan bahawa FIA adalah satu kaedah mapan untuk menilai keadaan hutan, memberikan kaedah penilaian pemuliharaan hutan dengan cepat dan mudah diakses. FIA boleh dipadankan dengan amalan pengurusan dalam pelbagai skim pemuliharaan hutan, dari standard kelestarian sehingga ke inisiatif perhutanan dan pemulihan oleh komuniti. FIA membolehkan lebih banyak organisasi dan individu untuk memahami nilai pemuliharaan hutan yang diurus dan untuk mengenal pasti kawasan bagi penambahbaikan bersasar.