Target 15.2 Manage and protect forests
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
Community Forest Management
Scientists from FIU’s Institute of Environment are researching community forest management in Mexico and Central America as well as natural resource and ecosystem management in Latin America. Their 30 years of research on these issues offer support to the idea that people and land benefit when indigenous people and local communities control their forests for commercial timber production. Their research takes into account the biodiversity in these forests, supply and demand, carbon capture, economic impact and government support. Today, these researchers advocate for community forest management as a market-oriented way to stop deforestation and conserve biodiversity.
Post-logging Forest Recovery
Forests across the globe are in a perpetual cycle of exploitation and recovery, characterized by a mosaic of diminished biodiversity and altered ecosystem function. These forest tracts, often termed “secondary,” now comprise the majority of the world’s forests. Despite their degraded state, they still harbor great potential for the restoration of rare and economically important species, as well as ecosystem services including carbon storage. Although the most cited examples of these secondary forests are in the tropics, South Florida also claims remnant natural areas that were heavily logged in the 19th and 20th centuries. Together with partners at Big Cypress National Preserve, FIU scientists are conducting a pilot study on forest recovery in logged cypress strands, using GIS analyses, aerial photographs, and archival documents to understand the cypress swamps in their pre-disturbance condition. At the same time, we are collaborating with CASE Education Outreach and Coral Gables Museum to provide a framework that can be used to educate the public about environmental history and historic resource management practices in South Florida.