Nature & Environment

Rainforest Wildlife Is Benefitted By Modern Wildlife

Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Feb 28, 2015 01:20 AM EST

Modern logging helps preserve biodiversity in tropical rain forests that are used for timber production.

New findings published in the Journal of Applied Ecology examine how logging impacts wildlife, with hopes to improve on the issue.

Researchers at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent say that over 4 million km2 of tropical forests harvested for timber worldwide improve the way logging impacts global biodiversity conservation.

To prove this point, for the study, researchers conducted comprehensive examinations of Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) for surveying wildlife communities throughout a five-year period before and after timber harvesting.

Findings revealed that birds, bats and large mammals were not affected by RIL.

Researchers hope these study results and future research will showcase the benefits of RIL over conventional logging and encourage timber companies and governments to switch in their practices.

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