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Las carreteras y la degradación ambiental de los bosques tropicales montanos
Author(s) -
Young Kenneth R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1994.08040972.x
Subject(s) - montane ecology , biota , disturbance (geology) , environmental science , ecology , geography , geology , biology , geomorphology
Roads are often a causal agent in the degradation of tropical forests; in this paper their impact is discussed for the forested, humid montane zone. Because of their steep slopes and high elevations, these forests have disturbance regimes associated with slope instability, limited resilience, and numerous species that are elevational specialists, restricted to narrow altitudinal belts. Roads often augment slope instability and fragment ranges of specialized species. Roads can allow uncontrolled extraction of natural products and landscape conversion. Improvements are needed in the design, construction, and maintenance of these roads. Also needed are studies and mitigation efforts to reduce their effects on the specialized biota of montane forests.