The Dipterocarp forests of South-East Asia constitute a dominant component of the world's tropical forests. As such, they are intertwined with a Pandora's box of problems that have plagued the world for decades; Over- and underdevelopment, poverty, hunger, population growth, exploitation of natural resources, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, the debt crisis and, of late, climate change. The world community has responded to the crucial role of these forests and the dangers facing them with funds, and a myriad of programmers, projects, institutions, conferences and networks. Apparently neither a lack of knowledge nor finance constrains the dissipation of sustainable management practices: the fate of the world's Dipterocarp forests will certainly depend on the involvement of scientists from many nations and disciplines, but will perhaps ultimately, rest with local policymakers, forest administrators and line foresters. Unfortunately, these two groups rarely share realms, readings or reasoning: practical foresters, invariably very involved with the challenges of day-to-day forest management in remote, isolated environments, may long remain oblivious to scientific developments. Traditionally though they do find solutions to problems, gain deep insights into forest responses and practical constraints, and sometimes even report in semi-obscure publications, which rarely reach the scientific circuit.The editors of the book, both experienced forest and soil scientists and practical forest managers, have attempted to bridge the gap between the realms of forest science and practice in Dipterocarp ecology, management and utilization.

An understanding of the characteristics and the ecology of soils, particularly those of forest ecosystems in the humid tropics, is central to the development of sustainable forest management systems. The present book examines the contribution that forest soil science and forest ecology can make to sustainable land use in the humid tropics. Four main issues are addressed: characteristics and classification of forest soils, chemical and hydrological changes after forest utilization, soil fertility management in forest plantations and agroforestry systems as well as ecosystem studies from the dipterocarp forest region of Southeast Asia. Additionally, case studies include work from Guyana, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and Nigeria.

Rehabilitation of degraded tropical forest ecosystems project. Evaluation of forest harvesting and fire impacts on the forest ecosystems.Development of methods to rehabilitate logged-over forests and degraded forest lands. Development of silvicultural techniques on degraded forest lands. Network of the rehabilitation of degraded forest ecosystems.

Since the late 1960s the Indonesian state of East Kalimantan has witnessed a marked increase in the impact of human activities chiefly commercial logging and agricultural exploitation. Located on the island of Borneo, East Kalimantan also was subjected to prolonged droughts and extensive wildfires in 1982-83 and 1997-98 that were linked to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. The changes in the rainforest ecosystem in East Kalimantan during this 15-year cycle of severe ENSO events are the subject of this book. With an eye toward development of rehabilitation techniques for sustainable forest management, the authors examine possible interactive effects of drought, fire, and human impacts on the flora and fauna of the area.

Asian tropical forests are amongst the most diverse on the planet, a richness that belies the fact that they are dominated by a single family of trees, the Dipterocarpaceae. Many other families contribute to Asia's natural diversity, but few compare to the dipterocarps in terms of the number and variety of species that occupy the forest canopy. Understanding the ecology and dynamics of Asian forests is therefore, to a large extent, a study of the Dipterocarpaceae. This book synthesises our current knowledge concerning dipterocarps, exploring the family through taxonomic, evolutionary, and biogeographic perspectives. Dipterocarp Biology, Ecology, and Conservation describes the rich variety of dipterocarp forest formations in both the ever-wet and seasonal tropics, including the less well known African and South American species. Detailed coverage of dipterocarp reproductive ecology and population genetics reflects the considerable research devoted to this subject, and its particular importance in shaping the ecology of Asian lowland rain forests. Ecophysiological responses to light, water, and nutrients, which underlie mechanisms that maintain dipterocarp species richness, are also addressed. At broader scales, dipterocarp responses to variation in soil, topography, climate, and natural disturbance regimes are explored from both population and community perspectives. The book concludes with a consideration of the crucial economic values of dipterocarps, and their extensive exploitation, discussing future opportunities for conservation and restoration. This will be a useful resource for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in tropical forest ecology and management, as well as professional researchers in tropical plant ecology, forestry, geography, and conservation biology.