Fellowship Year:
2026
Degree:
PhD
Research Country:
Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam
Research Continent:
Asia
South America
Project Title:
Industrial plantations as successional catalysts: Woody understory recruitment in pantropical Acacia and Eucalyptus plantations
Abstract:
This study evaluates whether tropical industrial monoculture plantations can support native forest recovery by promoting woody understory regeneration beneath plantation canopies. The research compares understory structure and composition beneath mature Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus plantations across three tropical regions in the Neotropical and Indomalayan floristic realms using standardized field inventories, landscape metrics and soil analyses. By assessing how canopy type and regional conditions influence regeneration, the project aims to provide cross-regional evidence to inform plantation management, restoration planning and emerging biodiversity and carbon market frameworks.