Re-plant native trees in logged areas

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    not assessed
  • Certainty
    not assessed
  • Harms
    not assessed

Study locations

Key messages

  • One study evaluated the effects on butterflies and moths of replanting native trees in logged areas. The study was in Ghana.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

  • Richness/diversity (1 study): One site comparison study in Ghana found that nine years after an area was replanted with native trees after logging it had similar species richness but lower diversity for two of three metrics compared to naturally regenerating secondary forest.

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A site comparison study in 2007 and 2009 in an area of moist forest in the Central Region, Ghana (Sáfián et al 2011) found that after nine years, an area replanted Species richness was similar  in nine-year-old replanted forest (54), naturally regenerated secondary forest (51) and a clear-cut area (53), all of which had fewer species than primary forest (62). However, using statistical models, replanted forest had lower estimated species richness (66–75) than the clear-cut area (66–75 vs 77–128). Butterfly community diversity was lower in all three diversity metrics in replanted forest than clear-cut or primary forest, and in two of three metrics than secondary forest (data presented as diversity indices). Differences between habitat types were not tested statistically. Butterfly community compositions in the replanted forest, naturally regenerated secondary forest and primary forest were more similar to each other than to the clear-cut area, but replanted forest and naturally regenerated secondary forest community were more similar to each other than to the primary forest (data presented as similarity index results). Four habitat patches were surveyed, all within a 40 ha area and ~250 m apart from each other, on the boundary of Kakum National Park: young forest planted nine years ago with Ceiba pentandra, Chlorophora excelsa, Terminalia ivoriensis and Khaya ivoriensis,  middle-aged naturally regenerated secondary forest, old primary forest and an area which was previously primary forest but was clear cut one year prior to the first surveying year. Patch size was not given. Eight banana-baited traps were established 30 m apart in each of the sampled patches, and operated for 12 consecutive days, three times each in 2007 and 2009. Butterflies were collected from traps daily.

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Bladon A.J., Bladon, E. K., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2023) Butterfly and Moth Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for butterflies and moths. Conservation Evidence Series Synopsis. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

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Butterfly and Moth Conservation

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Butterfly and Moth Conservation
Butterfly and Moth Conservation

Butterfly and Moth Conservation - Published 2023

Butterfly and Moth Synopsis

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