ABSTRACT
While the total forest area of the world still declines, the area of tree plantations is growing rapidly (Chapter 1). Although plantations occupy only 4 per cent of the global forest area (FAO, 2005) they dominate the landscape in some parts of the world (Sedjo, 1999). Most forest plantations are primarily established for the efficient production of wood products such as timber, pulp and charcoal, At the same time, plantations increasingly supply other services as well (Cossalter and Pye-Smith, 2003). Plantations can also be established to serve other aims like carbon sequestration, erosion control, water regulation and biodiversity conservation (Chapters 3 and 4; Norton, 1998; Scott et al, 2005; Byrne and Milne, 2006). The provision of these ecosystem services through plantations has also been integrated in community forest programmes that aim to reduce the pressure on natural forests (e.g. Seeland, 1999; Klooster and Masera, 2000). As the area in natural forests declines, ecosystem goods and services supplied by plantations become more and more important as a substitute for services of natural forests. The provision of habitat for plants and animals through plantations or tree cultivation in agroforestry systems is one important service that has received increasing attention (Schroth and da Mota, 2004; Carnus et al, 2006), particularly in areas where native forests have become rare (e.g. Berndt et al, 2008).
