- The Effect of Exotic Grass Species on Forest Regeneration in Abandoned Montane Pastures in
Colombia
- Examining Competition Between Tropical Legume Trees and Introduced Pasture Grasses: What Lessons
for Restoration?
- Approaches for Restoration of Forest Cover on Imperata cylindrica Grasslands
- Adaptability of Forest Tree Species to Degraded Lands in Pucallpa, Peruvian Amazon
- Effect of Soil Erosion in a Tropical Pasture on Soil Chemistry and Mycorrhizal Fungi
- Floristic and Structural Changes Affect Belowground Dynamics in a Successional Mosaic of Northern
Venezuela
- Rates of Soil and Plant C Accumulation 65 Years Following Restoration of a Tropical Moist Forest
in Puerto Rico
- Restoration of Tropical Wet Forest in the Central Highlands of the Dominican Republic
- Restoration and Arbuscular Mycorrhizae in Seasonal Tropical Forest in Mexico
- Influence of Forest Regrowth on Soil Properties and Growth of Brazil-nut Trees (Bertholletia
excelsa) in Degraded Pastures in the Amazon
- Phosphorus Adsorption in Costa Rican Soils along a Forest-pasture Gradient
- The Integrated Habitat Network, DEP and Phosphate Mines: If You Build it, They Will Come!!!
- Rehabilitation Testwork in Support of Potential Ilmenite Mining in South-Eastern Madagascar
Restoration on Grasslands
The Effect of Exotic Grass Species on Forest Regeneration
in Abandoned Montane Pastures in Colombia
Jaime Cavelier1 and T.
Mitchell Aide2
1. Depto. de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes
2. Dept. of Biology, University of Puerto Rico
In the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, pastures have been abandoned due to problems of soil stability
and the threat of massive landslides. Abandoned pastures at 2,000 m are dominated by Melinis minutiflora
and Pennisetum clandestinum which have high rates of productivity (900 g m2 / yr and 1800 g m2
/ yr, respectively). The high productivity of these pastures present a unique challenge to forest restoration.
Establishment of woody vegetation is very difficult in pastures dominated by P. clandestinum because it
produces a thick layer of stolons and has a fast growth rate. Melinis minutiflora is more susceptible to
colonization by woody species because it allocates relatively more resources to reproduction than to stolons and
below ground biomass.
Three strategies have been used to establish woody vegetation in these pastures: 1) natural colonization; 2)
controlled grazing; and 3) grass removal and planting seedlings of forest species. The first two strategies have
been the most successful and are the most cost effective. Wind dispersed composite shrubs are the most common species
to colonize these sites. These species are able to compete with the grasses, particularly M. minutiflora,
and eventually shade them out, facilitating the establishment of forest tree species. Dispersal continues to be
a major limitation for forest species and enrichment planting is required to begin establishing montane forest.
Contact information:
1. Depto. de Ciencias Biológicas
Universidad de los Andes, AA 4976, Bogotá, Colombia
Tel: +57-1 282-4066; Fax: +57-1 284-1890
jcavelie@cdcnet.uniandes.edu.co
2. Dept. of Biology, University of Puerto Rico
PO Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931-3360, USA
TOP
Examining Competition Between Tropical Legume Trees
and Introduced Pasture Grasses: What Lessons for Restoration?
Satya Rhodes-Conway & F.
Lynn Carpenter
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of California, Irvine
Tree seedlings planted into degraded tropical pastures face numerous barriers to survival and establishment.
Competition from existing non-native pasture grasses is one barrier that may act above (for light) or below (for
nutrients) ground. Determining the relative intensity of these factors can provide insight into restoration methods.
Overgrazed pastures may contain reduced densities and diversity, and different species of mycorrhizal fungi (AM)
than less disturbed habitat. The presence and species composition of AM may improve a seedling's ability to compete.
Seasonality may affect the intensity and/or presence of competition, and in some cases the presence of neighbors
may be beneficial. Management regimes should reflect these seasonal changes.
This experiment consists of five treatments: full competition, no competition, above ground competition only,
below ground competition only and full competition inoculated with AM. The design is randomized block with 3 replicates
in each of six blocks. This study is located in degraded, highly eroded pasture at Finca Frances, near Las Cruces
Biological Station in Costa Rica. The native, early successional tree Inga edulis (Mimosaceae) is the target
species.
I tested the following hypotheses: 1) Below ground competition limits growth more than above ground competition;
2) Increasing the species diversity of AM available to seedlings improves their competitive ability; 3) The intensity
of competition is greater in the wet season. All of these hypotheses are supported by preliminary data. Results
from this study are directly applicable to current restoration practices in Costa Rica.
Contact information:
University of California, Irvine
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, USA
Tel: +1 (949) 824-6006; Fax: +1 (949) 824-2181
satya@uci.edu
TOP
Approaches for Restoration of Forest Cover
on Imperata cylindrica Grasslands
Riikka Otsamo1, Olavi Luukkanen1
and Antti Otsamo2
1. University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Ecology/Tropical Silviculture
2. Enso Forest Development Ltd., Finland
In Southeast Asia large areas of former forest lands are occupied by the fire climax Imperata cylindrica
grass. We will present results concerning: (1) reforestation of these degraded lands by fast-growing exotic tree
species, (2) further integration of valuable indigenous timber trees, such as dipterocarps, in the fast-growing
stands and (3) the role of plantations on fostering spontaneous natural regeneration of native tree species. We
evaluate the importance of natural regeneration of native species and the underlying ecological factors on the
rehabilitation process.
Finally, we make a conclusion of future options for restoration of native forests on former grasslands. We suggest
that the multistoried and multi-species forests containing planted exotic fast-growing and indigenous slow-growing
species enriched by native species can, with proper management, develop to native-like forest exhibiting most of
the important forest functions of native forest. Our results are based on the research carried out in the reforestation
project in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Also some practical experience concerning the possibilities as well as
the ecological and social constraints of restoring the native forests in an industrial forest plantation are evaluated.
An alternative village-oriented approach based on the traditional man-made forest gardens of Kalimantan is presented.
Contact information:
1. University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Ecology/Tropical Silviculture
Koetilantie 1, P.O. Box 28, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
Fax: +358-9 708-5646; riikka.otsamo@helsinki.fi
2. Enso Forest Development Ltd.,
Kuparintie 47, 55100 Imatra, Finland
Fax: +358-20 462-4960; antti.otsamo@ensoforestdev.fi
TOP
Adaptability of Forest Tree Species to Degraded Lands
in Pucallpa, Peruvian Amazon
Manuel Soudre
Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria, Peru
After over 50 years of human settlement, the Pucallpa zone is one of the oldest and most dynamic agricultural
frontier areas in the Peruvian Amazon. Land occupation has brought along the years high deforestation rates due
to slash-and-burn agriculture and extensive land clearing for pastures. Over-grazing and uncontrolled fires are
recognized as the main causes for soil and vegetation degradation, and productivity decline in some of the oldest
areas. The increasing rate at which this process was taking place led the National Agricultural Research Institute
(INIA) to the establishment in 1992 of small-scale trials with native tree species to test their adaptability to
degraded pasture land. After three years, results in terms of survival and height growth were promising mainly
for Amburana cearensis, Schizolobium amazonicum, Chorisia insignis and Tabebuia serratifolia.
Based on this experience, in the framework of a collaborative research project initiated in late 1997 between
INIA and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a survey was conducted among small-scale farmers
to characterize the most frequent degraded land scenarios and identify potential partners for on-farm research.
Nine farmers were selected for setting up experimental plots on abandoned pasture land dominated by invading ('weed')
vegetation, notably: Imperata brasiliensis, Rottbellia exaltata and Baccharis floribunda. Six tree
species were planted in the plots following a statistical design with repetitions by strata (dominant weeds).
Six months after planting, species with best condition and height growth were (in decreasing order): Schizolobium
amazonicum, Calycophyllum spruceanum, Tabebuia serratifolia, Amburana cearensis, Terminalia oblonga and Cedrelinga
catenaeformis. The overall mortality was 16.6%, with single species-mortality ranging between 0 and 12.4% (for
Cedrelinga). It was observed that species from the genus Tabebuia, Aspidosperma and Amburana
resprout well after fire.
Contact information:
Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria
Carr. Federico Basadre km. 4.2 (Ex-CENFOR)
Apartado Postal 558, Pucallpa, Peru
Tel: +51-64 59-1151; Fax: +51-64 57-9078
cifor-peru@cgiar.org
TOP
Soil Dynamics and Restoration
Effect of Soil Erosion in a Tropical Pasture
on Soil Chemistry and Mycorrhizal Fungi
F. Lynn Carpenter1, Sergio Palacios2,
Eduardo González2 & Michelle Schroeder3
1. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California-Irvine
2. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
3. University of Miami
Deforestation on steep lands in the tropics has resulted in high rates of erosion and associated soil degradation.
Many forests were cleared for pastures, which are now losing their productivity. Because deforestation in Latin
America reached extremely high levels in the 1980s and many of these soils are thought to have a useful lifespan
of only 20-40 years, we are facing a growing crisis in soil degradation. Various methods of soil restoration have
been considered and tried, including planting native trees. However, some pasturelands are resistant to such restoration
attempts.
We believe that mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are likely to be important in the attempts to restore soil fertility
and/or trees to eroded pastures. As a first step in testing this idea on our degraded site in southern Costa Rica,
we examined a gradient of land degradation from severe to mild and measured how soil chemistry and mycorrhizal
communities changed along that gradient. In fact, available P, soil organic matter, and AMF density tended to increase
along the gradient, and the fungal community composition changed. These trends yield promising clues about use
of AMF in restoration of tropical native trees to pasture in the future.
Contact information:
1. Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of California, Irvine, CA 92717, USA
Tel: +1 (949) 824-4746; Fax: +1 (949) 824-2181
flcarpen@uci.edu
2. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
3. University of Miami
TOP
Floristic and Structural Changes Affect Belowground Dynamics in a
Successional Mosaic of Northern Venezuela
Elvira Cuevas1, Luis O. Marulanda2
& Francisco Herrera3
1. Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
2. Hatherley Labs, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
3. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
The 1200-2000 m altitudinal belt, crucial in watershed management, is strongly affected by population expansion
and agriculture so restoration efforts are urgently required. We chose a mosaic of plant communities in various
stages of succession representing disturbance and recovery regimes within the Northern Coastal Range of Venezuela.
The communities studied were: mature cloud forest, 40 year old secondary forest, secondary savanna, and a 20 year
old shrub community originated from savanna. In order to determine the roles of plant structural complexity and
species diversity on ecosystem functioning, we measured structural and floristic composition, woody aerial biomass,
soil physical and chemical characteristics, and spatial and temporal dynamics of soil CO2 efflux, soil
fauna and fine roots.
Recovery from shrub to secondary forest was accompanied by increases in basal area from 12 to 69% and in species
richness from 51 to 85% of mature forest. Cluster analysis showed co-evolution of floristic composition and soil
physical and chemical characteristics. Structural complexity affected microclimatic conditions, buffering soil
respiration, fine root and faunal dynamics. Seasonal pattern was similar for all communities, however forests maintained
higher humidity and lower temperatures than the savanna in both dry and rainy seasons. Total mass of fine roots
correlated with increased basal area and species richness. Macroclimate determined faunal dynamics, however the
litter layer buffered both soil temperature and humidity in the forests maintaining higher richness and abundance
throughout the year. Our results show the direct effect of vegetation structural complexity on belowground dynamics.
Understanding this relationship can be used to guide management alternatives in restoration efforts.
Contact information:
1. Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas
Aptdo. 21827, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela
Tel: +58-2 504-1203; Fax: +58-2 504-1088, 504-1203
ecuevas@oikos.ivic.ve or ecuevas@cantv.net
2. Hatherley Labs, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
3. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
TOP
Rates of Soil and Plant C Accumulation 65 Years Following Restoration
of a Tropical Moist Forest in Puerto Rico
Whendee L. Silver1, Rebecca Ostertag1,2
& Ariel E. Lugo2
1. Ecosystem Sciences Division
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
University of California-Berkeley
2. International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service
The storage of carbon in soils and biomass in tropical forests plays an important role in the global C cycle.
High rates of tropical deforestation have prompted growing concern about the loss of C storage capacity, and increasing
rates of C emissions to the atmosphere. Considerable recent efforts have focused on documenting the effects of
deforestation and land use change on plant and soil C pools. Much less research has explored possible mechanisms
to help offset C losses through restoration.
In this study, we use 13 C analyses and forest inventories to quantify rates of soil and plant C accumulation
in a subtropical moist forest 65 years following restoration of forest from pasture. We also measured the effects
of species richness, composition, and basal area density on rates of C accumulation, litterfall and fine root production
in the restored plots.
Approximately 81 ±5 Mg C ha-1 accumulated in the top 60 cm of mineral soil over the 65 yr. period, yielding
an accumulation rate of 1.2 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Basal area increment averaged 0.034 ±0.002 m2 ha-1
yr-1. Total annual litterfall was 12.9 ±0.7 Mg ha-1. Total annual leaf fall was positively correlated with
stem density (r2 = 0.37, P < 0.05). There were no significant effects of relative basal area dominance, species
richness, or Shannon diversity on monthly litterfall fractions or total monthly litterfall.
Species composition, however, did have some impacts on litterfall. Plots where Calophyllum antillanum
accounted for greater than 30% of the basal area had significantly more total annual leaf fall (P < 0.05) than
pooled plots dominated by other species (defined as > 30% basal area). Mean fine root productivity was 0.2 Mg
ha-1 yr-1. In plots with > 30% basal area dominance of C. antillianum fine root productivity amounted
to 0.4 Mg ha-1 yr-1 versus 0.3 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in plots dominated by other species.
Our results suggest that restored tropical moist forests can be an important sink for both above- and belowground
C. The choice of species used for reforestation is likely to affect rates and patterns of C sequestration through
species-specific traits that influence C allocation patterns, litter quality, or alteration of microclimate and
edaphic conditions.
Contact information:
1. Ecosystem Sciences Division
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
151 Hilgard Hall #3110
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94702-3110, USA
Fax +1 (510) 643-5098; wsilver@nature.berkeley.edu
2. International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service
P.O. Box 25000
Río Piedras, PR 00928-2500, USA
Tel: +1 (787) 766-5335; Fax: +1 (787) 766-6263
a_lugo@upr1.upr.clu.edu
TOP
Restoration of Tropical Wet Forest in the
Central Highlands of the Dominican Republic
Jess K. Zimmerman1, T.
Mitchell Aide2, Matthew Slocum2, and Robert Northup2
1. Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, University of Puerto Rico
2. Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico
Much of the Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve in the Dominican Republic was deforested in the 1960s and extreme
erosion has left poor soils and little forest recovery. Large areas of the reserve are dominated by the fern, Dicranopteris
pectinata, which is capable of colonizing the highly degraded soils. Once established, the fern appears to
resist tree invasion and thus represents a case of arrested succession.
A descriptive study of woody vegetation in fernlands and in the adjacent riparian forest of the Río Arroyozo
indicated that tree and shrub density was very low in the fernlands (0.1 m2) compared to the riparian
zone (1 m2) and that diversity of woody vegetation was severely reduced in the fernlands compared to
the riparian forest.
We hypothesize that three factors represent significant barriers to the expansion of woody vegetation from the
riparian zone into the adjacent fernlands: (1) dispersal of propagules (2) physical barriers to seedling establishment,
and (3) soil conditions. These potential barriers are being investigated in a series of field and greenhouse experiments
to determine the effect of the removal of ferns on natural seedling establishment and the mortality and growth
of planted seedlings and cuttings of 20 native species from fernlands and riparian forests. Soil conditions are
being experimentally improved by addition of widely available fertilizer (chicken manure) in field and greenhouse
experiments. Successful establishment of a subset of the 20 test species would suggest a method for restoring forest
to large areas of the reserve.
Contact information:
1. Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies
University of Puerto Rico
San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Tel: +1 (787) 767-0350; Fax: +1 (787) 758-0815
jzimmer@sunceer.upr.clu.edu
2. Department of Biology
University of Puerto Rico
PO Box 23360
San Juan, PR 00931-3360, USA
TOP
Poster
Restoration and Arbuscular Mycorrhizae
in Seasonal Tropical Forest in Mexico
Edith B. Allen, Helen A. Violi, Lea Corkidi, Michael
F. Allen & Arturo Gomez-Pompa
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
University of California-Riverside
In September 1997 we planted 756 seedlings of six tree species (Acacia penatula, Ceiba pentandra, Guazuma
ulmifolia, Leucaena leucocephala, Brosimum alicastrum, Havardia albicans) at El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana
Roo, Mexico. These forests are subject to frequent fires that escape from shifting cultivation.
We propagated the seedlings in the greenhouse using arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum collected from a mature
forest that has no history of soil disturbance, a two year old forest resprouting from a wildfire, and uninoculated
controls. The seedlings were planted into an experimental burn dating from June 1997.
The most effective inoculum in promoting plant growth was from the early seral forest, which produced the tallest
seedlings with the greatest biomass. The second best inoculum varied, with two early seral species having better
growth when nonmycorrhizal compared to late seral inoculum. The second best inoculum for the other four species
was late seral inoculum, with uninoculated controls causing the poorest growth. These treatment growth patterns
have persisted into the second growing season.
Unlike previous studies that suggest that tropical forest trees are obligately mycorrhizal, these trees showed
a variety of responses to mycorrhizae. The reasons for different responses of the inocula may be that early seral
soils have a low diversity of small spores primarily in the genus Glomus, while mature forest has in addition
large-spored genera (Acaulospora, Gigaspora, Sclerocystis, Scutelospora) that may have a greater carbon
cost to the plant.
Contact information:
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences
University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0124, USA
Tel: (909) 787-2123; Fax: (909) 787-4437
edith.allen@ucr.edu
TOP
Poster
Influence of Forest Regrowth on Soil Properties and Growth
of Brazil-nut Trees (Bertholletia excelsa) in Degraded Pastures in the Amazon
Dominic Blay Jr.1 & Joao B.S. Ferraz2
1. Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG)
2. Instituto Nacional des Pesquisas Amazonas (INPA)
The creation of planted forest "archipelagos" on degraded tropical lands has been suggested as a technique
to facilitate the colonization of secondary forest species. In addition to this, we hypothesized that presence
of forest fragments or forest regrowth within plantations on a degraded site could also improve soil nutrient status
and improve tree growth.
We therefore tested this hypothesis by determining the carbon and nitrogen content of soils under forest regrowth
which had deliberately been allowed to flourish in a 12 year old plantation of Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa)
established on sandy and clayey soils in degraded pasture in the Amazon. This was compared to soils in the alleys
between two strips of forest regrowth. The growth of Brazil nut trees planted near strips of forest regrowth was
also compared to trees growing in the middle of the alleys.
On both the clayey and sandy soil, soils under forest regrowth had higher amounts of carbon and nitrogen than
soils under trees in the middle of the alleys. This is due to a more efficient nutrient cycling by the forest regrowth
leading to retention of nutrients by the soils. Therefore on the sandy soil Brazil nut trees growing near forest
regrowth had higher growth than trees in the middle of the alleys.
However on the clayey soil, the reverse was the case. Thus trees in the middle of the alleys had higher growth
than trees near forest regrowths. The lower growth of trees near the forest regrowth was because the trees constituting
the forest regrowth which were pioneer species had out grown the Brazil nut trees possibly due to high uptake of
carbon and nitrogen present in the soil by the trees in the forest regrowth. They had therefore over-shadowed Brazil
nut trees and therefore prevented them from getting enough light to photosynthesize and therefore have adequate
growth.
These results suggest that strips of forest regrowth within a plantation on a degraded site could help to improve
soil carbon and nitrogen content and therefore help to improve tree growth. The high amounts of carbon and nitrogen
under the forest regrowth could also facilitate the growth of other native seedlings. However on nutrient rich
sites, the forest regrowth may need to be managed if the planted trees near the regrowth are to benefit from nutrients
made available by the regrowth.
Contact information:
1. Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG)
UST Box 63, Kumasi, Ghana
2. Instituto Nacional des Pesquisas Amazonas (INPA)
C.P. 478 Manaus AM, Brazil
TOP
Poster
Phosphorus Adsorption in Costa Rican Soils along a Forest-pasture Gradient
Virginia L. Jin1, Bruce
L. Haines1, Larry T. West2 & Chris
J. Peterson1
1. Department of Botany, University of Georgia
2. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia
Volcanic-ash derived Inceptisols in the humid tropics readily fix phosphates. Forest regeneration into abandoned
pasture may be affected by phosphorus availability. To characterize soil phosphorus retention capacity, phosphorus
adsorption isotherms were constructed from thirty soil samples collected along forest-pasture gradients at 1200m
elevation in southern Costa Rica. Soils were sampled in five sites along two transects (ridge and slope) at 25m
into the forest, the forest-pasture edge, and 50m into the pasture.
Phosphorus adsorption maxima (PAM) calculated from uniform-surface Langmuir isotherm equations ranged from 1,478
to 18,586 (g P/g soil with phosphorus fixation rates of 61% to 99%). Significant correlations were found between
PAM and % P fixation, soil %C, soil %N, C:N, effective CEC (ECEC), and exchangeable Al, Mg, and Ca. There were
no differences between topographic position or distance along transect for PAM, % P fixation, and other soil properties
(NaF pH, %C, %N, and C:N, ECEC).
Lack of differences in soil phosphorus retention capacity and other soil characteristics along the forest-pasture
gradient suggests that fundamental soil properties in pastures have yet to change since their conversion from forest.
Potential differences between forests and pastures in the supply of labile P for plant growth may ultimately affect
forest regeneration into abandoned pastures and could be more attributable to either biotic factors (i.e. species-specific
nutrient uptake ability, symbiotic root associations) or present environmental conditions (i.e. light, water) than
soil factors.
Contact information:
1. Department of Botany
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602, USA
Tel: (706) 542-3732 ; Fax: (706) 542-1805
jin@dogwood.botany.uga.edu,
haines@dogwood.botany.uga.edu, chris@dogwood.botany.uga.edu
2. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602, USA
TOP
Mining and Restoration
The Integrated Habitat Network, DEP and Phosphate Mines:
If You Build it, They Will Come!!!
O.E. Rivera1, J.W.H. Cates1,
R.C. Garcia2 & J. H. Kiefer3
1. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mine Reclamation
2. Cargill Fertilizer. Inc.
3. CF Industries, Inc.
Phosphate has been mined in Florida since the 1880s. If this mined-out land is restored, it will evolve into
land forms with wildlife and environmental features. The DEP's Integrated Habitat Network (IHN) concept is a reclamation
plan for the entire phosphate mining district, and integrates the political, economic, and social implications
of managing the environment, replacing the piece by piece reclamation of wetlands permitted in the past. The goals
of the IHN are to restore drainage and hydrologic functions on mined land, and to provide quality wildlife habitats
and corridors.
This paper presents two cases of better ecosystem management in coordination with the IHN: CF Industries' South
Pasture Mine, and Cargill Fertilizer's Hookers Prairie Mine. During preapplication meetings, the mining companies
ranked wetlands and uplands by their ore economic value, while DEP ranked the same areas based upon their environmental
values. The two parties then worked to together to produce plans that incorporated preservation and reclamation
for the wetlands and uplands within the mines and on adjacent property, a "win/win" solution for both
DEP and the mining companies. The preserved areas will serve as core habitats for the reclamation and greenway
plan. The South Pasture and Hookers Prairie Phosphate Mines are designated to serve as an example of the new consolidated
permitting process that applies the concepts of ecosystem management.
Contact information:
1. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mine Reclamation
2051 East Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-3760, USA
Tel: (850) 488-8217; Fax. (850) 488-8217
rivera_o@dep.state.fl.us
2. Cargill Fertilizer. Inc., 3900 Peeples Road, Fort Meade, FL 33841, USA
Rosemarie_Garcia@Cargill.com
3. CF Industries, Inc., Post Office Box 1549, Wauchula, FL 33873, USA
TOP
Poster
Rehabilitation Testwork in Support of Potential Ilmenite Mining
in South-Eastern Madagascar
Manon Vincelette
QIT Madagascar Minerals, Madagascar
QIT Madagascar Minerals SA (QMM), a Malagasy company owned by QIT-Fer et Titane Inc. of Canada (subsidiary of
Rio Tinto plc, UK) and the Malagasy Government, is considering the development of an ilmenite orebody in south-eastern
Madagascar. Ilmenite contains titanium dioxide, which is used as a pigment in paint, paper and plastic.
From 1989 to 1992, QMM commissioned a team of national and international specialists to undertake baseline studies
of the existing social and natural environments. These studies indicated that the remnant littoral forest is of
special botanical and faunal interest but is under constant pressure from the local people for fuel and construction
wood, and is consequently highly degraded.
If mining were to proceed, QMM would plan to rehabilitate the mined area progressively as the surface mining
advances. Both ecological restoration and exotic species plantations are being considered. QMM recognises that
local villagers must feel that any rehabilitation or conservation efforts are in their best interest, if those
measures are to be sustainable. In order to assess the best rehabilitation options, an extensive research and trials
program has been carried out over the last few years, including mapping of forest degradation and fragmentation,
forest succession research and simulated restoration trials on littoral forests and wetlands.
In parallel, extensive consultations with the local villagers are in progress to better understand their needs
and to identify together rehabilitation options that the villagers will support. This poster will present the research
achieved to date on the natural ecosystems, restoration process used and results to date for an optimal ecological
restoration after mining.
Contact information:
QIT Madagascar Minerals
BP 4003, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Tel: +261 2022-42-559, +261 3023-84-359; Fax: +261 2022-42-506
manonv@dts.mg
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