Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure

The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-scale study in Borneo, synthesizing responses from 82 variables categorized into four ecological levels spanning a broad suite of ecosystem properties: (i) structure and environment, (ii) species traits, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) ecosystem functions. Responses were highly heterogeneous and often complex and nonlinear. Variables that were directly impacted by the physical process of timber extraction, such as soil structure, were sensitive to even moderate amounts of logging, whereas measures of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning were generally resilient to logging but more affected by conversion to oil palm plantation.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2025-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf9856
Citations
33
Primary Topic
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
36.48

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure

David Johnson, David Hemprich‐Bennett, Edgar C. Turner, Yit Arn Teh et al.
33 citations
Science
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
36.48
article

Tropical forest clearance impacts biodiversity and function, whereas logging changes structure

David Johnson, David Hemprich‐Bennett, Edgar C. Turner, Yit Arn Teh, Yadvinder Malhi, Andy Hector, Matthew J. Struebig, Arthur Y. C. Chung, Sol Milne, Ully H. Kritzler, Simon L. Mitchell, David F. R. P. Burslem, Pavel Kratina, Benjamin Blonder, Mathew Williams, David P. Edwards, Nick Ostle, Boris Bongalov, Noreen Majalap, Glen Reynolds, Victoria Kemp, Palasiah Jotan, Robert M. Ewers, Samuel J. B. Robinson, Owen T. Lewis, Rudi Cruz, Eleanor M. Slade, Zoe Georgina Davies, David T. Milodowski, Matheus Henrique Nunes, Sabine Both, Charles J. Marsh, Joseph A. Tobias, Terhi Riutta, Stephen J. Rossiter, Elizabeth L. Clare, Dafydd Elias, Milenka Montoya Pillco, David A. Coomes, Henry Bernard, Reuben Nilus
article en
33 citations

Abstract

The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-scale study in Borneo, synthesizing responses from 82 variables categorized into four ecological levels spanning a broad suite of ecosystem properties: (i) structure and environment, (ii) species traits, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) ecosystem functions. Responses were highly heterogeneous and often complex and nonlinear. Variables that were directly impacted by the physical process of timber extraction, such as soil structure, were sensitive to even moderate amounts of logging, whereas measures of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning were generally resilient to logging but more affected by conversion to oil palm plantation.

ScienceVol. 387(6730)
Universiti of Malaysia Sabah (MY), Queen Mary University of London (GB), Nanyang Technological University (SG), York University (CA), University of Aberdeen (GB), University of Kent (GB), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ), University of Cambridge (GB), Leverhulme Trust (GB), University of Manchester (GB), National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco (PE), University of Oxford (GB), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB), Sabah Forestry Department (MY), Conservation Leadership Programme (GB), Imperial College London (GB), University of Maryland, College Park (US), Lancaster University (GB), Newcastle University (GB), University of New England (AU), University of California, Berkeley (US), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Sight Research UK, University of Oxford, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Natural Environment Research Council
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
36.48
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.