TITLE:
Mitigating Biodiversity Concerns in Eucalyptus Plantations Located in South China
AUTHORS:
Roger A. Williams
KEYWORDS:
Eucalyptus, Alder-Leaf Birch, Biodiversity, Retention Harvests, Mixed Plantations
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.3 No.6,
June
12,
2015
ABSTRACT: China’s growing economy and
changes in policies that encourage afforestation, particularly in the
industrial sector, have led vast areas in south China to be planted with
eucalyptus. These large areas of eucalyptus plantings have elicited
environmental concerns for two primary reasons. First there is a concern
related to the water demand of eucalyptus, in which it is feared these large
areas of eucalyptus will deplete aquifers and create shortages in water
supplies. The second concern is in regard to the reduction in biodiversity
across large landscapes, leading to further ecological demises. This paper
proposes two ideas to possibly mitigate some of the biodiversity concerns. The
first is the interplanting of alder-leaf birch (Betula alnoides), a native but
dwindling species in south China, to enhance biodiversity and encourage it’s
reestablishment across the landscape. The second is to encourage retention
harvests of alder-leaf birch planted within eucalyptus plantations to enhance
not only biological diversity but also structural diversity across the
landscape. Alder-leaf birch has demonstrated great potential in producing high
quality timber and wood for use in furniture manufacturing.