Author(s): Stephen Elliott

Botany & Plant Sciences

"Restoring Tropical Forests" is a user-friendly and globally relevant practical guide to restoring forests throughout the tropics. Based on the concepts, knowledge and innovative techniques developed at Chiang Mai University's Forest Restoration Research Unit, this book will enable substantial improvements in existing forest restoration projects and provide a key resource to enable new ones. The book presents three aspects of the restoration of tropical forest ecosystems for biodiversity recovery and environmental protection. Firstly, the general concepts of tropical forest dynamics and regeneration that are relevant to the practice of effective tropical forest restoration are covered. This is followed by proven restoration techniques and case studies of their successful application, and research methods to refine such techniques and adapt them to local ecological and socio-economic conditions. The book is primarily aimed at researchers and practitioners, to enable them to develop appropriate techniques to restore tropical forest ecosystems (and their associated high biodiversity) that are suited to local ecological and socio-economic conditions.
It will also be of use to policy makers, to raise awareness of alternative ecologically based options that are available for the restoration of degraded tropical forest land.