荷兰乌特勒支大学Joeri A. Zwerts及其团队近期取得重要工作进展，他们研究提出，FSC认证比非FSC认证的森林管理更有利于大型哺乳动物的保护。相关研究成果2024年4月10日在线发表于《自然》杂志上。

据介绍，世界上超过四分之一的热带森林被用于木材开采。伐木影响了这些生态系统中的生物多样性，主要是通过修建森林道路来促进在广阔地区狩猎野生动物。森林管理委员会（FSC）等森林管理认证计划预计将减轻对生物多样性的影响，但由于研究设计的挑战，主要是样本量有限，到目前为止，人们对FSC认证的有效性知之甚少。

研究人员通过在西赤道非洲的14个伐木区使用130万张相机陷阱，拍摄的55种哺乳动物的照片来提供这一证据。研究人员观察到，在FSC认证的伐木特许权中，哺乳动物遭遇率高于非FSC伐木特许权。这种影响在体重超过10磅的物种中最为明显，以及高度优先保护的物种，如极度濒危的森林象和西部低地大猩猩。在整个哺乳动物群落中，非FSC特许经营权所包含的啮齿动物和其他小物种比例高于FSC认证特许经营权。物种保护的首要任务应该是通过有效的执法来维护未砍伐的森林，但对于砍伐的森林来说，这一研究结果提供了令人信服的数据，即FSC认证的森林管理对哺乳动物群落的破坏小于非FSC森林管理。

总之，这项研究提供了强有力的证据，证明FSC认证的森林管理或同等严格的要求和控制机制应成为木材开采的规范，以避免啮齿动物和其他小物种占主导地位的半空森林。

附：英文原文

Title: FSC-certified forest management benefits large mammals compared to non-FSC

Author: Zwerts, Joeri A., Sterck, E. H. M., Verweij, Pita A., Maisels, Fiona, van der Waarde, Jaap, Geelen, Emma A. M., Tchoumba, Georges Belmond, Donfouet Zebaze, Hermann Frankie, van Kuijk, Marijke

Issue&Volume: 2024-04-10

Abstract: More than a quarter of the world’s tropical forests are exploited for timber1. Logging impacts biodiversity in these ecosystems, primarily through the creation of forest roads that facilitate hunting for wildlife over extensive areas. Forest management certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are expected to mitigate impacts on biodiversity, but so far very little is known about the effectiveness of FSC certification because of research design challenges, predominantly limited sample sizes2,3. Here we provide this evidence by using 1.3million camera-trap photos of 55 mammal species in 14 logging concessions in western equatorial Africa. We observed higher mammal encounter rates in FSC-certified than in non-FSC logging concessions. The effect was most pronounced for species weighing more than 10kg and for species of high conservation priority such as the critically endangered forest elephant and western lowland gorilla. Across the whole mammal community, non-FSC concessions contained proportionally more rodents and other small species than did FSC-certified concessions. The first priority for species protection should be to maintain unlogged forests with effective law enforcement, but for logged forests our findings provide convincing data that FSC-certified forest management is less damaging to the mammal community than is non-FSC forest management. This study provides strong evidence that FSC-certified forest management or equivalently stringent requirements and controlling mechanisms should become the norm for timber extraction to avoid half-empty forests dominated by rodents and other small species.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07257-8

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07257-8