The impacts of liana cutting intensity on biodiversity and carbon in logged Bornean forests

Most tropical forests have been logged. A major limitation on recovery is the growth of epiphytic lianas, which comprise ~20% of biomass in logged forests. While lianas inhibit tree growth, prevent seedling recruitment, and increase tree mortality, they provide vital resources for fauna including fruits, foraging opportunities, and shelter. To facilitate forest recovery, large-scale liana cutting has been initiated, but the long-term effectiveness is poorly understood.

In 2019, we initiated a liana cutting experiment in ~350 hectares of logged forest in Borneo. Our experiment is the first globally to apply liana cutting at a range of intensities (plus uncut controls) and monitored pre-cutting plant, dung beetle and acoustic (including bird) diversity. This ACCE PhD project will utilize this unique experiment to understand the consequences of liana cutting for carbon stocking and biodiversity.