Journal Forest Ecology and Management (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/forest-ecology-and-management)

What are the biggest challenges for tomorrow's forests and/or ecosystems found within forested landscapes?

María Elena : The two main challenges for future (and current) forests are probably climate change (CC) and land use change, the last one particularly in developing countries of the Global South. Greenhouse gases emissions, responsible for CC, are not evenly originated by all countries, but the new extreme climatic conditions pose a significant threat for trees and forests all over the word. At the same time, tropical forests, those huge biodiversity centers and carbon sinks that should be protected to fight climate change, are distributed mainly in developing countries. This means that they face the additional threat of conversion of forest lands to agricultural and livestock land. This conversion is driven by the need for economic development, largely based on commodities exported to developed countries or fast-growing economies. Consumer countries may request “sustainable” forms of forest exploitation through international market regulations, which could contribute to stop deforestation. However, although the ecological consequences would be desirable, they usually ignore the complex social and historical causes of (unsustainable) ways of resources exploitation, which indeed are sometimes derived from colonialism legacies. So, the main challenges for future forests, in my opinion, are both related to socioeconomic issues framed in historical inequalities between world regions and countries, and demand therefore global and fair solutions that benefit all of us.

In which area(s) should research focus for improving the resilience of tomorrow's forest landscapes?

María Elena : More than ever, we need interdisciplinary research to increase the resilience of future forests, as well as to reach and dialogue with other audiences for the scientific knowledge to contribute to real-world solutions.

From a disciplinary point of view, considering my expertise, more research is needed focusing on ecology and silviculture of complex systems -both planted and natural-, aiming to increase adaptability of the systems as a whole. I think this is not a problem for (basic) ecologists, but the challenge is to translate adaptive ecological knowledge to management tools that can be adopted at operational level. Productive efficiency has been improved mainly by simplification and homogenization of systems and practices, whereas we need now to manage a larger complexity to face rapid-changing environmental and commercial conditions. Moreover, the main target of management and genetic breeding should move from productivity of species and systems to their adaptability to variable environmental conditions, assuming potential tradeoffs between them. Research might be devoted, also, to the uses of wood and other forest products, particularly of native species, to increase their market value and therefore contributing to forests´ conservation in hand with boosting local economies. 

How can local communities best contribute to protecting vulnerable ecosystems?

María Elena : Local communities are key actors in the protection of the ecosystems they depend on. However, as part of global inequalities and/or traditional compartmentalized practices of research and management of natural resources, their voice is not equally attended in different socio-economic contexts. Empowering those communities by making them part of the research and actions developed in forests and agroforestry systems could be a good means of guaranteeing the protection of the systems they belong to.