Spontaneous regeneration of tropical dry forest in Madagascar

Publication review

Loss of tropical forests and changes in land use/land cover affect climate and environmental change at global scales and are of growing concern worldwide (e.g. Achard et al. 2002; Lambin et al. 2003).

Although most focus had been on deforestation, regrowth of tropical forest may be widespread. Achard et al. (2002) estimated that at a global level, the annual regrowth area of humid tropical forest is 1 million hectares compared with the annual forest loss of 5.8 million hectares.

In other words, annual regeneration may correspond to roughly 20% of the total area of deforestation (see also Chapter 2 in this volume).