Symposium discusses research on ecology of forest restoration in Seychelles |06 June 2022
Researchers from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, with project lead Dr Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury presented a research on forest restoration from a long-term collaboration with the Seychelles Parks and Garden Authority during a symposium at the University of Seychelles yesterday morning.
The research represented in four research talks by PhD students Alba Costa and Arturo Lonighi covered a range of topics embedded in the context of forest restoration. The presentations emphasised the collaborative approach to the research, which has been ongoing since 2007 and resulted in several high-impact outputs and clear recommendations for practitioners and policymakers on ecosystem restoration. Partners on the symposium were the Seychelles Parks and Garden Authority (SPGA), the Blue Economy Research Institute (BERI) and Island Biodiversity Conservation (IBC), both associated to the University of Seychelles (UniSey).
The researchers presented their findings from five years of study of glacis ecosystems, including restored native forest and associated animals that are critically important to maintain and protect native plant diversity in the future. In an earlier study in 2012, the collaborative group provided evidence that forest restoration, which included the removal of invasive plants, strongly benefits not only the restored plant community, but also insect, gecko and bird pollinator species, which are essential for long-term survival of native forest. The work started with a large-scale restoration experiment across eight glacis sites on Mahé. Shortly after removal of invasive plants, native forests and their pollinators recovered from the disturbance created by invasive species and restoration. While we have some insights into the short-term response of the forest to restoration, we lack understanding about the medium and longer-term consequences of restoration.
This research symposium focused on the medium-term effects of restoration on pollinators, seed dispersers, and other species interactions which are critical for the long-term ability of forests to respond to climate change and human-caused threats. The research team’s findings are highly relevant for acute conservation and policy decisions for forests in Seychelles. One of the key findings was the need to maintain already restored communities to maintain the benefits of the initial restoration effort. There is strong evidence that any investment into invasive plant control at these restored sites are highly beneficial for native forests and the associated fauna. In particular, insect pollinators and native birds that disperse seeds, deliver much better support to the native forest if invasive plants are removed or kept at low abundances.
From these findings the researchers conclude that restoring multiple small patches of degraded forest would have the biggest benefits to overall biodiversity. Similarly, future commercial forest exploitation is best done in areas of low biodiversity value. For example, some invasive species provide a significant conservation value, such as cinnamon forests, which should remain largely undisturbed, otherwise any forest management is likely to increase the impact of invasive species on Seychelles forest ecosystems.
Another timely finding is the role of the non-native honey bees on native pollinators and native plant species. At their current densities, honey bees are unlikely to be harmful to native plant-pollinator interactions, and there is even some evidence that honey bees may support pollination of native plants in heavily degraded plant communities. However, there is strong evidence that honey bees compete with native pollinators for flowers and are far inferior pollinators compared to native insects in native forests. The team also reported an unusually strong decline in insects, but not gecko or bird pollinators, between 2012 and 2019. At the well-attended symposium the audience speculated about possible causes, including the wide-spread fumigation treatment across Mahé to control the outbreak of the hairy caterpillar. Further research into the impact of wide-spread pesticide applications on insect populations across the island is needed, but the fumigation programme may require critical review, as suggested by the expert audience.
The highly successful research collaboration will produce a set of conservation recommendations which will be circulated to stakeholders to be taken up into policy and conservation strategies. The researchers from University of Exeter, specifically thanked the local partners for their continued support and the vital contribution to evidence-based conservation in the Seychelles.
Reason for UniSey to participate
University of Seychelles as a higher education institution recognises the need to ensure that research that's significant for Seychelles environment and conservation effort is shared to a wide audience, especially stakeholders and local researchers including students ‒ as is the case with this research ‒ so as to develop an understanding of environmental processes, restoration work that has taken place, potential and impacts of future restoration on ecosystem functions ‒ these are useful for management actions and decisions.
UniSey through the Blue Economy Research Institute (BERI) and Island Biodiversity Centre (IBC) continues to support such research and bring together stakeholders to discuss issues relevant to the Seychelles environment and ecosystems.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the symposium.
Contributed by Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury, James Mougal and Alba Costa
Photos: UniSey
