Methods of identifying high conservation value forests of the regional level in Angara south taiga area (Using the example of Bratsk area,Irkutsk oblast)

Methods of identifying high conservation value forests (HCVFs) have been proposed in correspondence with the Russian national certification standard accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FCS). A landscape-typological approach has been assumed as a basis for HCVF identification. In fact, the HCVF concept is a modified interpretation of protective forest organization scheme. The methods can be applied in other Siberian regions.     

Is forest certification targeting areas of high biodiversity in cork oak savannas?

Over the last four decades the world has been losing biodiversity at an alarming rate despite the increasing number of protected areas (PAs). Certified forest management may complement the role of PAs in protecting biodiversity. Forest certification aims to promote sustainable forest management and to maintain or enhance the conservation value of certified forests. The area of forest under certified forest management has grown quickly over the past decade. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, for example, currently covers 148 million hectares, i.e., 3.7 % of the world’s forests. In spite of such increase there is, however, a dearth of information on how forest certification is related to biodiversity. In this study we assessed if FSC certification is being applied in high biodiversity areas in cork oak savannas in Portugal by comparing biodiversity values of certified and non-certified areas for birds, reptiles and amphibians. We calculated the relative species richness and irreplaceability value for each group of species in certified and non-certified areas and compared them using randomization tests. The biodiversity value of certified areas was not significantly greater than that of non-certified areas. Since FSC certification is expanding quickly in cork oak savannas it is important to consider the biodiversity value of these areas during this process. Prioritizing areas of high biodiversity value would enhance the conservation value of forest certification and facilitate integrating certification with other conservation initiatives.     

Conservation gains through HCVF assessments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania

This paper analyses the conservation gains through High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) assessments in two South-East European countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania). These are based on the review of the Draft Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) National Standards and HCVF Manuals and the results of the certification process of seven forest management units in the two countries. The review indicates that the application of Principle 9 (High Conservation Value Forests) and Criterion 6.4 of the FSC in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania was influenced by the size and nature of tenure (i.e., public or non-public land), rather than geographic location per se. The study also revealed that the assessment of HCVF has, for the first time, raised the question of conservation of cultural, historical and religious values as well as the sustainable management of those forests relevant for the basic needs of communities. These are values not currently covered at the present by the national conservation legislation in either of these two countries. Findings of this study in both countries demonstrates that there are certain conservation gains as a result of the HCVF assessment, especially related to ecosystem services, prevention of soil erosion and conservation of threatened, endangered and endemic species.     

Options for biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes of multiple ownerships in Oregon and Washington,USA

We examine existing and developing approaches to balance biodiversity conservation and timber production with the changing conservation roles of federal and nonfederal forest land ownerships in the US Pacific Northwest. At landscape scales, implementation of the reserve-matrix approach of the federal Northwest Forest Plan in 1994 was followed by proposals of alternative designs to better integrate disturbance regimes or to conserve biodiversity in landscapes of predominantly young forests through active management without reserves. At stand scales, landowners can improve habitat heterogeneity through a host of conventional and alternative silvicultural techniques. There are no state rules that explicitly require biodiversity conservation on nonfederal lands in the region. However, state forest practices rules require retention of structural legacies to enhance habitat complexity and establishment of riparian management areas to conserve aquatic ecosystems. Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) under the US Endangered Species Act provide regulatory incentives for nonfederal landowners to protect threatened and endangered species. A state-wide programmatic HCP has recently emerged as a multi-species conservation approach on nonfederal lands. Among voluntary incentives, the Forest Stewardship Council certification comprehensively addresses fundamental elements of biodiversity conservation; however, its tough conservation requirements may limit its coverage to relatively small land areas. Future changes in landscape management strategies on federal lands may occur without coordination with nonfederal landowners because of the differences in regulatory and voluntary incentives between ownerships. This raises concerns when potentially reduced protections on federal lands are proposed, and the capacity of the remaining landscape to compensate has been degraded.     

Options for biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes of multiple ownerships in Oregon and Washington,USA

We examine existing and developing approaches to balance biodiversity conservation and timber production with the changing conservation roles of federal and nonfederal forest land ownerships in the US Pacific Northwest. At landscape scales, implementation of the reserve-matrix approach of the federal Northwest Forest Plan in 1994 was followed by proposals of alternative designs to better integrate disturbance regimes or to conserve biodiversity in landscapes of predominantly young forests through active management without reserves. At stand scales, landowners can improve habitat heterogeneity through a host of conventional and alternative silvicultural techniques. There are no state rules that explicitly require biodiversity conservation on nonfederal lands in the region. However, state forest practices rules require retention of structural legacies to enhance habitat complexity and establishment of riparian management areas to conserve aquatic ecosystems. Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) under the US Endangered Species Act provide regulatory incentives for nonfederal landowners to protect threatened and endangered species. A state-wide programmatic HCP has recently emerged as a multi-species conservation approach on nonfederal lands. Among voluntary incentives, the Forest Stewardship Council certification comprehensively addresses fundamental elements of biodiversity conservation; however, its tough conservation requirements may limit its coverage to relatively small land areas. Future changes in landscape management strategies on federal lands may occur without coordination with nonfederal landowners because of the differences in regulatory and voluntary incentives between ownerships. This raises concerns when potentially reduced protections on federal lands are proposed, and the capacity of the remaining landscape to compensate has been degraded. This paper was previously published in Biodiversity and Conservation, Volume 16(13) under doi:     

Identifying Conservation Priority Zones for Effective Management of Tropical Forests in Eastern Ghats of India

There are thousands of protected forest areas existing on earth, yet the deforestation rate continues unabated both inside and outside the protected areas especially in the tropical forests. It identifies the less effectiveness of the current conservation strategies, which is normally oriented around the forest area cover rather than the quality of the protected areas. This calls for realistic and effective management strategies for forests. Based on the drawbacks the present study aims at identifying conservation priority sites within the protected areas (Reserved Forests) of Shervarayan hills, Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The remnant forest patches having less effective management/protection is identified and analysed for its qualitative contribution to the ecosystem. Quadrats of 20 × 20 m were laid in different vegetation based on the percentage of forest cover and assess the species diversity pertaining the richness, Endemism and Red list categories. Thematic layers (maps) such as vegetation type, floristic species richness, floristic endemism, and red list flora are created and categorized according to their weightage classes and overlaid in GIS domain to demarcate the Conservation Priority Zones (CPZ). The CPZ are classified according to the priority status i.e., high, moderate and low based on the contributing species richness, levels of endemism and concentration of Red listed plants.     

Spatial Overlap between Environmental Policy Instruments and Areas of High Conservation Value in Forest

In order to safeguard biodiversity in forest we need to know how forest policy instruments work. Here we use a nationwide network of 9400 plots in productive forest to analyze to what extent large-scale policy instruments, individually and together, target forest of high conservation value in Norway. We studied both instruments working through direct regulation; Strict Protection and Landscape Protection, and instruments working through management planning and voluntary schemes of forest certification; Wilderness Area and Mountain Forest. As forest of high conservation value (HCV-forest) we considered the extent of 12 Biodiversity Habitats and the extent of Old-Age Forest. We found that 22% of productive forest area contained Biodiversity Habitats. More than 70% of this area was not covered by any large-scale instruments. Mountain Forest covered 23%, while Strict Protection and Wilderness both covered 5% of the Biodiversity Habitat area. A total of 9% of productive forest area contained Old-Age Forest, and the relative coverage of the four instruments was similar as for Biodiversity Habitats. For all instruments, except Landscape Protection, the targeted areas contained significantly higher proportions of HCV-forest than areas not targeted by these instruments. Areas targeted by Strict Protection had higher proportions of HCV-forest than areas targeted by other instruments, except for areas targeted by Wilderness Area which showed similar proportions of Biodiversity Habitats. There was a substantial amount of spatial overlap between the policy tools, but no incremental conservation effect of overlapping instruments in terms of contributing to higher percentages of targeted HCV-forest. Our results reveal that although the current policy mix has an above average representation of forest of high conservation value, the targeting efficiency in terms of area overlap is limited. There is a need to improve forest conservation and a potential to cover this need by better targeting high conservation value areas.     

Assessing high conservation value areas for rare,endemic and threatened (RET) species: A study in high altitude Changthang landscape of India

The Forest Stewardship Council developed the concept of High Conservation Values (HCVs) as a criteria in the forest certification process in order to promote sustainable forest management. It has six major components or values and component one and two of HCVs deal with the habitat for viable populations of “rare, endemic and threatened (RET) species” using the IUCN Red List category and other national / regional / local lists. But a consistent robust methodology for identification of these areas, does not exist. The present study tried to develop for the first time, a straight forward inclusive methodology for identification of HCVAs for the RET species on a spatio-temporal scale. A total of 50 RET and other significant species (32 flora, 10 fauna and 8 avifauna) were identified after a thorough literature review, field surveys and consultations with experts. Occurrence data of the selected species was collected from different secondary sources, field surveys, institutes and scientists who have worked on them. A 10 km grid-based approach and stratified random sampling was used for the primary GPS field surveys conducted during 2018–2019. MaxEnt species distribution model (SDM) software was used based on the occurrence data and environmental variables for identification of potential suitable habitats for the selected species. Linear support vector machine (LSVM) model was used for assessing the performance of the SDMs. The performance of each SDM has been validated through Cohen's Kappa (KAPPA), true skill statistic (TSS) and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) models. The proposed methodology addresses the urgent need for a holistic and robust set of techniques to apply the HCV toolkit. This is key to identify and map HCVAs for RET species at the landscape level and can be easily adapted to and adopted at the national, regional, state or local level in India. The methods offer an efficient, reliable approach for the application of the HCV concept, elsewhere in the world.     

Potential new areas for conservation of key botanical families in the subtropical Atlantic Forest

Myrtaceae, Lauraceae and Fabaceae are regarded as essential floristic elements of Atlantic forests due to their outstanding species richness, endemism levels, and ecological functions. Nonetheless, Atlantic forests are being subjected to multiple human disturbances that compromise the conservation of their flora. This study, therefore, intended to address whether there exist potential areas for conservation with great richness of tree/shrub species of the aforementioned families in different forest types within the subtropical Atlantic Forest. For this, data collected systematically across?~?23% of the subtropical Brazilian Atlantic Forest were employed. The univariate Local Moran I statistic was used to search for clusters of sample plots with great richness of species of the studied families. Six clusters were found throughout the evergreen rainforest (ERF) and Araucaria forest (AF), and most of them contained more than half of all species of these families observed on the sample plots, besides many others belonging to different families. A cluster of Myrtaceae and a cluster of Lauraceae in the ERF were the only ones that overlapped protected areas. The clusters of Lauraceae in the AF, located in ecotone zones with the ERF, had?~?50% of native forest cover, whereas the clusters of Myrtaceae and Fabaceae had?~?10% of forest cover. Inasmuch as forests in the study area have been heavily exploited, the clusters have relevant conservation value. Protected areas could be expanded or converted into more restrictive conservation categories to enhance the conservation of populations of key elements of the Atlantic Forest. Yet, non-protected areas deserve attention regarding the management of forest resources and conservation-by-use strategies.

     

Towards more effective integration of tropical forest restoration and conservation

Conservation and restoration interventions can be mutually reinforcing and are converging through an increased focus on social dimensions. This paper examines how to more effectively integrate the complementary goals of conservation and restoration of tropical forests. Forest conservation and restoration interventions are integral components of a broad approach to forest ecosystem and landscape management that aims to maintain and restore key ecological processes and enhance human well‐being, while minimizing biodiversity loss. The forest transition model provides a useful framework for understanding the relative importance of forest conservation and restoration interventions in different regions. Harmonizing conservation and restoration presents serious challenges for forest policy in tropical countries, particularly regarding the use and management of secondary forests, fallow vegetation, and forests degraded by logging and fire. Research to implement restoration more effectively in tropical regions can be stimulated by transforming questions that initially focused on conservation issues. Examination of papers published in Biotropica from 2000–2018 shows that most studies relevant to tropical forest conservation do not address forest restoration issues. Forest restoration studies, on the other hand, show a consistent association with conservation issues. There is much scope for further integration of conservation and restoration in research, practice, and policy. Securing a sustainable future for tropical forests requires developing and applying integrated approaches to landscape management that effectively combine knowledge and tools from multiple disciplines with practical experience and engagement of local stakeholders. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

Forest protection in Central India: do differences in monitoring by state and local institutions result in diverse social and ecological impacts?

Protection of forests and wildlife outside protected areas (PAs) is necessary for the conservation of wildlife. Extension of conservation efforts outside the existing PA may result in restrictions on local forest resource use. Such situations arise due to differences in understanding of forest as a resource for communities and as a conservation space for endangered species. A clearer focus is needed on the functionality and socio-ecological outcomes of different forest management institutions to address such issues. We conducted a study in a forest landscape connecting Pench and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserves (TRs) in Central India. The two main forest management institutions were the Forest Department (FD) and local communities managing forest resources. We conducted vegetation surveys and focus group discussions in 15 villages selected based on presence or absence of active protection and monitoring of forest resources by either FD or local people. We found that forests with monitoring had significantly higher tree density and vegetation species richness compared to forests without monitoring. Tree density was observed to be higher in sites monitored by villagers rather than those monitored by FD. Self-regulation and resource sharing in locally monitored forests were more acceptable to local communities. In forests monitored by the FD, local communities indicated a feeling of alienation from the forest that weakened their motivation to protect the forest and wildlife. Recognition of local community rights is essential to achieve conservation goals and reduce social conflicts outside PAs, requiring collaboration between state and local institutions.     

Rehabilitation of degraded forests in Thailand: policy and practice

Thailand has suffered from severe deforestation during the last century. Forest cover has declined drastically both in terms of area and quality, mostly due to the expansion of human activities. Much of the deforested area has been used for agricultural purposes, but much has also been left in a degraded condition. In late 1980s, the forest declined to a point where the nation decided that the remaining forest should be kept for conservation rather than further exploitation. Consequently, forest policy has shifted its focus from exploitation to sustainable management and protection. Thailand has set a goal of increasing its forest area to 40% of the total land area, while at present, forests occupy around 28.9% of the land. With the intention to retain most of the remaining forest as protected areas and, at the same time, achieve the goal set, several reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives have been implemented, especially on those lands in a degraded condition. This paper focuses on the significant issues affecting both the policy and practice of forest rehabilitation. Given that the large number of people whose livelihood depends on the forests for subsistence and other purposes normally has been excluded from the decision-making process in forest management, most important among these issues are the integration of the socio-economic and environmental needs into rehabilitation initiatives together with the active participation of local communities in the rehabilitation program. Case studies of reforestation and rehabilitation initiatives are also discussed.     

Sustainable use of tropical forests by reduced-impact logging in Deramakot Forest Reserve,Sabah, Malaysia

In pursuance of economic growth and development, logging has exhausted the natural timber resource in the tropical rainforest of Sabah, Malaysia. Realizing the forest depletion, the Sabah Forestry Department, with technical support from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, begun developing a management system with the intent of managing all commercial forest reserves in a way that mimics natural processes for sustainable production of low volume, high quality, and high priced timber products in 1989. As dictated by a forest management plan based on forest zoning, about 51,000 ha of the entire area is set aside for log production and 4,000 ha for conservation in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. This Forest Management Plan has served as the blueprint for operational work and biodiversity conservation in Deramakot to the present. A strict protection area is set aside for biodiversity conservation within the reserve. A reduced-impact logging system is being employed for harvesting with minimal impacts on the physical environment. Deramakot Forest Reserve was certified as “well managed” by an international certification body, the Forest Stewardship Council, in 1997 and is the first natural forest reserve in Southeast Asia managed in accordance with sustainable forestry principles. In addition to providing a "green premium," certification provides easier market access, evidence of legality, multi-stakeholder participation, conservation of biodiversity and best forest management practices, particularly reduced-impact logging techniques. Deramakot Forest Reserve is the flagship of the Sabah Forestry Department and serves as a symbol of what can be achieved with political support and institutional commitment.     

Efficiency of protected areas in Amazon and Atlantic Forest conservation: A spatio-temporal view

The Amazon and Atlantic Forest are considered the world's most biodiverse biomes. Human and climate change impacts are the principal drivers of species loss in both biomes, more severely in the Atlantic Forest. In response to species loss, the main conservation action is the creation of protected areas (PAs). Current knowledge and research on the PA network's conservation efficiency is scarce, and existing studies have mainly considered a past temporal view. In this study, we tested the efficiency of the current PA network to maintain climatically stable areas (CSAs) across the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. To this, we used an ecological niche modeling approach to biome and paleoclimatic simulations. We propose three categories of conservation priority areas for both biomes, considering CSAs, PAs and intact forest remnants. The biomes vary in their respective PA networks' protection efficiency. Regarding protect CSAs, the Amazon PA network is four times more efficient than the Atlantic Forest PA network. New conservation efforts in these two forest biomes require different approaches. We discussed the conservation actions that should be taken in each biome to increase the efficiency of the PA network, considering both the creation and expansion of PAs as well as restoration programs.     

Post-cultivation Secondary Succession in a Venezuelan Lower Montane Rain Forest

Since tropical rain forests are widely threatened by conversion to agriculture, even within protected areas, an understanding of recovery processes is important for restoration of forest ecosystems and thus conservation of their biodiversity. Secondary succession following land clearance and crop cultivation was studied in a lower montane rain forest in a protected area of the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa Central. Forest recovery was studied using a chronosequence of eight 20 × 20 m plots which represented four forest types ca.10 year-old Secondary Forest, ca. 20 year-old Secondary Forest, ca. 35 year-old (uncultivated) secondary forest and mature forest. Species richness and structural complexity increased during succession, with the oldest secondary forest having a physiognomy comparable to the mature forest. Species diversity was lower in the secondary forests than the mature forest, and their floristic composition was distinct. Four phases are hypothesized to occur in the succession process, each with a distinctive species assemblage: initial colonisation by non-woody vegetation; establishment and canopy closure by short-lived small-seeded woody pioneer species; replacement by longer-lived secondary species; and gradual replacement by mature forest large-seeded climax species. Full recovery of the forests in the protected area is likely to take many years, although it may be assisted through conservation management measures.     

Impacts of Selective Logging and Agricultural Clearing on Forest Structure, Floristic Composition and Diversity, and Timber Tree Regeneration in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mature tropical forests at agricultural frontiers are of global conservation concern as the leading edge of global deforestation. In the Ituri Forest of DRC, as in other tropical forest areas, road creation associated with selective logging results in spontaneous human colonization, leading to the clearing of mature forest for agricultural purposes. Following 1-3 years of cultivation, farmlands are left fallow for periods that may exceed 20 years, resulting in extensive secondary forest areas impacted by both selective logging and swidden agriculture. In this study, we assessed forest structure, tree species composition and diversity and the regeneration of timber trees in secondary forest stands (5-10 and ~40 years old), selectively logged forest stands, and undisturbed forests at two sites in the Ituri region. Stem density was lower in old secondary forests (~40 years old) than in either young secondary or mature forests. Overall tree diversity did not significantly differ between forest types, but the diversity of trees ≥10 cm dbh was substantially lower in young secondary forest stands than in old secondary or mature forests. The species composition of secondary forests differed from that of mature forests, with the dominant Caesalpinoid legume species of mature forests poorly represented in secondary forests. However, in spite of prior logging, the regeneration of high value timber trees such as African mahoganies (Khaya anthotheca and Entandrophragma spp.) was at least 10 times greater in young secondary forests than in mature forests. We argue that, if properly managed and protected, secondary forests, even those impacted by both selective logging and small-scale shifting agriculture, may have high potential conservation and economic value.     

森林干扰生态研究

陆地上80％的生态系统都已受到了来自人类和自然的各种干扰,森林生态系统也不例外．在各种干扰作用下,尤其是人类不合理的干扰导致世界范围内的森林退化／衰退已成为一个十分严峻的事实,因此,以维持、恢复森林生态系统固有的多种功能为基础,实现高效、稳定、可持续就成为经营森林生态系统的总目标．随着干扰的加剧,近年来生态学界更加关注的是“受干扰”生态系统的研究．干扰对森林生态系统主要生态过程的影响以及森林生态系统对干扰的响应等问题,已成为森林生态研究领域的国际前沿与热点．因此,系统地研究干扰条件下森林生态系统的生态过程,并在此基础上确立干扰森林的经营理论与技术,对中国天然林资源保护等林业工程实施及国家生态安全建设具有重要的科学和现实意义．本文在广泛收集国内外有关森林干扰研究结果的基础上,总结了森林干扰的基本概念,分析了干扰与森林经营的关系,探讨了森林干扰研究领域所涉及的内容和关注的基础问题,提出了森林干扰生态研究的主要内容与方向,对今后干扰森林生态研究和中国天然林保护等林业工程建设具有参考价值．     

Biodiversity conservation and systemic silviculture: Concepts and applications

Abstract

Classic silviculture and management, with the aim of predicting regeneration rate and producing a constant yield of merchantable wood, have simplified many forests, often transforming natural forests into plantations or coppices. To conserve forest complexity and biodiversity, silviculture and forest management should change the reference paradigm and consider forest ecosystems as complex biological systems characterized by the inherent unpredictability of their trajectories in a continuously changing environment. The new Management Plan for the Vallombrosa Forest (Florence, Italy), a State Nature Reserve and a Natura 2000 Site, is based on this approach. The aim is the gradual evolution of the pure silver fir stands toward mixed stands with a complex structure. Most of the species considered by Natura 2000 depend on an increase of structural diversity at different space and time scales. The management approach proposed by the new plan is coherent with this aim and thus biodiversity conservation is not in conflict with forest management but is, instead, a direct consequence of the systemic approach.     

Biodiversity of leaf-litter ants in fragmented tropical rainforests of Borneo: the value of publically and privately managed forest fragments

In view of the rapid rate of expansion of agriculture in tropical regions, attention has focused on the potential for privately-managed rainforest patches within agricultural land to contribute to biodiversity conservation. However, these sites generally differ in their history of forest disturbance and management compared with other forest fragments, and more information is required on the biodiversity value of these privately-managed sites, particularly in oil-palm dominated landscapes of SE Asia. Here we address this issue, using tropical leaf-litter ants in rainforest fragments surrounded by mature oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo as a model system. We compare the species richness and composition of ant assemblages in privately-managed forest fragments (‘high conservation value’ fragments; HCVs) with those in publically-managed fragments of forest (virgin jungle reserves; VJRs) and control sites in extensive tracts of primary forest. In this way, we test the hypothesis that privately-managed and publically-managed forest fragments differ in their species richness and composition as a result of differences in history and management and hence in habitat quality. In support of this hypothesis, we found that HCVs had much poorer habitat quality than VJRs, including lower sizes and densities of trees, less canopy cover, fewer dipterocarp trees and shallower leaf litter. Consequently, HCVs supported only half the species richness of ants in VJRs, which in turn supported 70 % of the species richness of control sites, with vegetation structure and composition explaining 77 % of the variation among forest fragments in ant species richness. HCVs were also much smaller than VJRs but there was only a weak relationship between fragment size and habitat quality, and species richness was not related to fragment size. VJRs supported 78 % of the 156 species found in extensive tracts of forest whereas HCVs supported only 22 %, which was only slightly higher than the proportion previously recorded in oil palm (19 %). These data support previous findings that publically-managed VJR fragments can make an important contribution to biodiversity conservation within agricultural landscapes. However, we suggest that for these HCVs to be effective as reservoirs of biodiversity, management is required to restore vegetation structure and habitat quality, for instance through enrichment planting with native tree species.     

祁连山林区基于水源涵养能力的人工林近自然度评价体系建立

建立近自然度评价体系对于修复森林生态功能、保障森林可持续发展有着重要的意义,然而近自然度尚未有统一的评价体系。祁连山地区的森林系统承担着我国西部重要的水源涵养功能,对其现存的人工林客观地开展基于水源涵养能力的近自然评价是亟需解决的问题。以祁连山东部金禅沟、塔尔沟小流域40个不同林分起源的云杉纯林、白桦纯林、云杉白桦混交林为对比研究样地,对涉及近自然度和水源涵养能力的指标进行敏感性分析,筛选出中高敏感度指标,通过欧氏距离法结合熵权法定量评价人工林近自然度,通过模糊物元法定量评价森林水源涵养能力,然后采用6种方法对近自然度和水源涵养得分分布进行拟合(R²>0.4),并利用K-means法建立了4个近自然度评价等级。研究表明祁连山东部地区大部分人工林近自然度评级处于半天然林阶段,通过改造纯林为针阔混交林可以同时提高其近自然度与水源涵养能力。研究旨在构建基于水源涵养能力的近自然度评价体系,为森林生态服务功能修复提供理论支持。