Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots (original) (raw)

2021, Biological Conservation

AI-generated Abstract

Tropical forests, recognized as the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth, require a comprehensive understanding for our future. Historically, research efforts have been fragmented, but a global network is now addressing tropical ecosystem challenges by employing diverse teams to measure forests at a granular level across thousands of long-term plots. This initiative unifies grassroots efforts with standardized methodologies to produce scalable results and highlights the central role of local data generators in scientific discovery. With the establishment of ForestPlots.net, these efforts connect researchers from 54 countries across 24 networks, providing new insights into how tropical forests respond to climate change, the dynamics of carbon and biodiversity, and the critical drivers behind these processes, ultimately fostering a modern revolution in tropical forest science.

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