Conversely, the area of planted forests (including plantation forests) is increasing and is currently ca. 2015), especially in the rich forests of Central and South America, South and Southeast Asia and Africa, although the rate of forest loss has been slowing in recent years (Keenan et al. These declines are expected to continue (e.g., Newbold et al. Pressures from human activities leading to forest loss, fragmentation and degradation (FAO 2015) have already caused much biodiversity decline and homogenization (Lindenmayer and Franklin 2002 Newbold et al. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services.įorests and woodlands harbour immense terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and, especially in moist tropical regions, represent the most species-rich habitat type worldwide (Mace et al. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. The literature is highly skewed studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being.
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