Trees,
populations and forest management
The natural
wealth of tropical rain forests has fascinated me since long. How are so many
species of trees able to coexist in a small piece of forest? How do tiny tree
seedlings become 40m-giants overtopping the forest canopy? And, what strategies
allow tree populations to maintain themselves in the messy world of falling
branches, leaf eating animals and darkness? In my ecological research I
try to contribute to answering these questions.
Another part of
my research deals with applied questions. Can tropical forests be used
sustainably for timber and non-timber products (NTFPs)? What are conditions for
sustainability and how can this be evaluated? These questions I tackle in
collaboration with local universities and research organisations. For instance,
I give scientific advise to forestry research in the
PROMAB programme for sustainable forest management in the Bolivian Amazon.
I'm also involved in research on forest conservation and management in Vietnam
(threatened tree species, rattan) and Colombia (NTFPs) through
Tropenbos International.
A third
important theme in my research and teaching is conservation biology. I am
coordinator of the Prince Bernhard Chair for International Nature Conservation,
an extra-ordinary chair at Utrecht University occupied by visiting professors
with a strong international reputation in conservation. Currently, the chair is
occupied by Prof.
Francis Putz.
Recently, I
have started working on tree ring analysis in Bolivia, Vietnam and
Ethiopia, a technique that has great potential for ecological and forest
management studies. In large part of my research I use models to study the
population dynamics of plant populations. These models - often population
matrix models - are also very suitable for analyses of sustainability and
conservation.
I teach several
courses in the Biology curriculum: 'Tropical Ecology & Conservation Biology' at
BSc level and 'Principles of Natural Resource Management' in the MSc programme 'Natural
Resource Management'. I also give short course abroad on forest ecology &
management, and population modelling in Bolivia and Vietnam. I have recently
joined the Associate Editors board of Journal of Ecology.
Publications:
On tropical
forest ecology:
Zuidema, Pieter A.,
Brienen, Roel J. W. ,During, Heinjo J. and Güneralp, Burak (2009).
Do persistently fast-growing juveniles contribute disproportionately
to population growth? A new analysis tool for matrix models and its
application to rainforest trees. The American Naturalist, vol. 174,
no. 5: 709-719. {pdf
723kb}.
Yamada,T., Zuidema, P.A., Itoh, A., Yamakura, T., Ohkubo, T.,
Kanzaki, M., Tan, S. & Ashton, P.S. 2007. Strong habitat preference
of a tropical rain forest tree does not imply large differences in
population dynamics across habitats. Journal of Ecology 95: 332-342.
{pdf
525kb}
Brienen, R.J.W.,
P.A. Zuidema & H.J.During, 2006.
Autocorrelated
growth of tropical forest trees: unraveling patterns and quantifying
consequences. Forest Ecology and Management 237: 179-190
{pdf
893 kB}
Brienen, R.J.W. &
P.A. Zuidema, 2006.
Lifetime growth
patterns and ages of Bolivian rain forest trees obtained by tree ring analysis.
Journal of Ecology 94: 481-493.
{pdf 459 kB}
Brienen, R.J.W. &
P.A. Zuidema, 2005.
Relating tree
growth to rainfall in Bolivian rain forests: a test for six species using tree
ring analysis. Oecologia 146: 1-12.{pdf
460 kB}
Poorter, L., P.A.
Zuidema, M. Peña Claros & R.G.A. Boot, 2005. A monocarpic tree species in a
polycarpic world: how can Tachigali vasquezii maintain itself so successfully in
a tropical rain forest community? Journal of Ecology 93: 268-278.
{pdf 309 kB}
Couralet, C, U.
Sass-Klaassen, F.J. Sterck, T. Bekele & P.A. Zuidema, 2005.
Combining dendrochronology and matrix modelling in
demographic studies: An evaluation for Juniperus procera in Ethiopia.
Forest Ecology and Management 216: 317-330.
{pdf 521 kB}
Hayashida-Oliver,Y.,
J. Leigue-Gomez, M. Peña-Claros & P.A. Zuidema, 2001. Dinámica de especies
arbóreas en un bosque húmedo tropical en el norte de la Amazonía boliviana. Pp
55-76 in: B. Mostacedo, T. Fredericksen: Regeneración y Silvicultura de
Bosques Tropicales en Bolivia, BOLFOR, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Jansen, P. & P.A.
Zuidema, 2001.
Logging , Seed
Dispersal by Vertebrates, and Natural Regeneration of Tropical Timber Trees. Pp.
35-59 in: R.A. Fimbel, J.G. Robinson & A. Grajal (eds). The cutting edge.
Conserving wildlife in logged tropical forests. Columbia University Press,
New York.
On sustainable use of tropical forests
Putz, F.E., P.A. Zuidema, M.A. Pinard, R.G.A. Boot, J.A. Sayer,
D. Sheil, P. Sist, Elias and J.K. Vanclay, 2008. Improved tropical forest
management for carbon retention. PLoS Biology,
1368-1369 {pdf
1MB}
Brienen, R.J.W. & P.A. Zuidema, 2007. Ignoring persistent tree growth
differences substantially underestimates tropical timber yield. Frontiers in
Ecology and the Environment 5: 302-306. {pdf
588 kB} suppl {pdf
266 kB}
Zuidema, P.A., H. de Kroon & M.J.A. Werger, 2007. Combining prospective and
retrospective demographic analyses to determine harvest sustainability: an
evaluation for leaf cutting in understory palms. Ecological Applications, 17:
118-128 {pdf
254 kB}.
Guedje, N.M., P. A. Zuidema, H.J. During, B. Foahom & J. Lejoly, 2007. Tree bark
as a non-timber forest product: The effect of bark collection on population
structure and dynamics of Garcinia lucida Vesque. Forest Ecology and Management,
240: 1-12 {pdf
1017 kB}.
Brienen, R.J.W. & P.A. Zuidema, 2006. The use of tree rings in tropical forest
management: Projecting timber yields of four Bolivian tree species. Forest
Ecology and Management 226: 256-267. {pdf
584 kB}
Peres, C.A., C. Baider, P.A. Zuidema, et al., 2003. Demographic threats to the
sustainability of Brazil nut exploitation. Science 302 (5653): 2112-2114. {pdf
687 kB}
Zuidema, P.A. 2003. Ecology and management of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia
excelsa). PROMAB Scientific Series 6. PROMAB, Riberalta, Bolivia. 112 pp. (Also
available in Spanish) {downloadable from
www.promab.org}
Zuidema, P.A. & R.G.A. Boot, 2002. Demography of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia
excelsa) in the Bolivian Amazon: impact of seed extraction on recruitment and
population dynamics. Journal of Tropical Ecology 18:1-31. {pdf
491kB}
Peña-Claros, M. & P.A. Zuidema, 2000. Limitaciones demográficas para el
aprovechamiento sostenible de Euterpe precatoria para producción de palmito:
resultados de dos estudios en Bolivia. Ecologia en Bolivia 34:7-25.
On tropical forest conservation
Chien, P.D., P.A. Zuidema & N.H. Nghia.
2008. Conservation prospects for threatened Vietnamese tree species: results
from a demographic study. Population Ecology 50: 227-237 {pdf 754 kB}
Putz, F.E. & P.A. Zuidema.
2008. Contributions of Ecologists to the Conservation of Tropical Forests. In:
W. Carson & S. Schnitzer (eds). Tropical Forest Community Ecology.
Blackwell {pdf
327 kB}.
Zuidema, P.A., J.A.
Sayer & W. Dijkman, 2005. Forest fragmentation and biodiversity: the case for
intermediate size conservation areas. In J.A. Sayer (Ed.), Earthscan Reader
in Forestry and Development (pp. 306-322). London, UK: Earthscan.
Zuidema, P.A.
(ed). 2003.
Tropical
forests in multi-functional landscapes.
Proceedings, Prince Bernhard Centre for International Nature Conservation,
Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
73 pp.
Zuidema, P.A.,
J.A. Sayer & W. Dijkman, 1996. Forest fragmentation and biodiversity: the case
for intermediate size conservation areas.
Environmental
Conservation
23: 290-297 {pdf
771 kB}.
Sayer, J.A., P.A.
Zuidema & M.H. Rijks, 1995.
Managing for
biodiversity in humid tropical forests. Commonwealth Forestry Review 74:
282-287 {pdf
692 kB}.
On modelling of crops and populations:
Zuidema, P.A.,
Leffelaar, P.A., Gerritsma, W., Mommer, L. & Anten, N.P.R. 2005.
A physiological production model for cocoa (Theobroma cacao):
model presentation, validation and application. Agricultural Systems 84:
195-225.
{pdf 541kB}
Zuidema, P.A. & M. Franco, 2001.
Integrating vital rate variability into perturbation analysis: an evaluation for
matrix population models of six plant species. Journal of Ecology 89:
995-1005.
{pdf 840 kB}
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