FSD 2010 - News

5th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal (1985-2010)

A tropical forest without frugivores and seed dispersers is a ghost forest

The Smithsonian Institution organized a symposium entitled "Will the rainforest survive ? New Threat and realities in the tropical extinction crisis" at National Museum of Natural History on January 12, 2009 (Video and Presentations). Apart from the debate between scientists to know what is the most important threat between deforestation and climate change, there is certainly one major threat that has often been overlooked by politicians despite repeated warning, articles, and books, in the last decades. Among the invited speakers, Elizabeth L. Bennett reminds us (abstract) that "Loss of hunted species threatens the wider biodiversity of the forest community, and also the livelihoods of forest peoples who depend on the resource". Therefore, if human beings want to keep alive the future biodiversity-rich parks and reserves, as well as secondary forests, as emphasized by Robin Chazdon, we also need (abstract) to "enhance movement of seed-dispersing species such as birds and bats" otherwise no doubt we'll lose much more species. Therefore, for scientists studying frugivores and seed dispersal, the greatest threat to rainforest diversity might be that they become empty ) real ghost forest, and this is not really new. See Kent Redford bio.

Read (added 19/01) two new articles by Jeremy Hance from Mongabay.com :

Wildlife trade creating “empty forest syndrome” across the globe about Liz Bennett's presentation

Secondary forest should become new conservation initiative about Robin Chazdon's presentation

Bushmeat sell on the road between Bamenda and Yaoundé, Cameroun. These animals were hunted in the remaining forest some kilometers away from the road. (c) P.-M. Forget, 2007