In degraded and restored rainforest fragments of the Valparai Plateau, Western Ghats, India.

Tropical forests play an important role not only in the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity but also by providing a variety of ecosystem services to human societies. Our dependence on these forests for regulatory services such as carbon storage creates opportunities to integrate biodiversity conservation agendas and human welfare. Our project looks at various aspects of the carbon storage provided by tropical rainforest fragments in India's Western Ghats, with outcomes that will be relevant at both local and broader scales.

Our recently-completed RSG-funded project documented declines in both above- and below-ground carbon stocks in forest fragments compared to contiguous forests. Building on this, one component of this project will address the ecological and anthropogenic factors that bring about these losses in carbon storage in trees and soils of fragmented forests. We will use a framework of plant functional traits to explore the underlying mechanisms driving tree community responses to fragmentation and use this to predict the consequences of fragmentation for carbon storage services. We will also explore linkages between the above- and below-ground systems, by assessing the impacts of altered abiotic conditions, leaf litter quality and decomposer community on soil carbon stocks. Our aim is to to better understand and more reliably predict changes in ecosystem carbon stocks in fragmented forests. The data generated will also serve to guide forest restoration efforts.

A second component will address some of the practical aspects of conserving forest fragments in the study landscape. We will prepare a paper reviewing the challenges facing the implementation of conservation schemes, with specific focus on schemes for ecosystem services-based conservation (e.g. payments for ecosystem services). This will be done by reviewing policy documents and meetings with forest administrators and conservationists. We will also conduct interview surveys to assess local peoples’ perceptions of values and ecosystem services provided by trees and forests in the landscape, including cultural services that might be unique to the area. This is relevant since many of the forest fragments are conserved as sacred groves.

I expect this project to generate knowledge that is both academically and practically relevant; importantly it will likely strengthen the bases for conservation strategies for disturbed tropical forests.