Designing tropical forests of the future to mitigate climate change

Subject areas: tropical ecology; restoration ecology; forest degradation; monitoring; conservation; environmental remote sensing; biomass

Managing the carbon content of the land surface to mitigate the impacts of climate change has climbed the international political agenda over recent years. This is because analyses show that carbon emissions from tropical land-use change is the second largest source of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere after fossil fuel use. More recently a newer focus has emerged: enhancing existing forest carbon stocks and afforesting/reforesting degraded tropical lands. This is because the climate benefits of forest regeneration in tropical regions are larger than elsewhere, tree growth is fast, and other benefits such as for biodiversity also accrue. However, two major outstanding overarching scientific questions remain. Firstly, how much carbon can realistically be removed from the atmosphere by enhancing the carbon storage within degraded tropical lands, and secondly, how to design what will be millions of hectares of new tropical forest.

In response, this project is to quantify the limits to carbon sequestration in degraded tropical lands and investigate the management interventions that define the speed and shape of tropical forest recovery. The PhD will cover three parts, (1) Quantifying the relationship between the severity of landscape degradation and time of recovery, and how the shape and speed of recovery is modified by differing management interventions. (2) Quantifying realistic pan-tropical and regional estimates of carbon uptake across degraded lands. (3) Undertake case studies to collect field data in project partner Permian’s forest regeneration landscape projects to determine the carbon uptake trajectory of forest restoration projects.

The balance of the project (fieldwork and desk-based parts, for example) will depend upon the specific interest of the student. However, a key outcome of the project is to produce scientific analyses that will assist Permian projects to design and regenerate self-sustaining and biodiverse forests that sequester carbon and are resilient to future perturbations.

The candidate should ideally have a background in ecology, biology, environmental science or geography, or a highly numerate discipline with a proven interest in tropical ecology. Tropical fieldwork experience is desirable.

For more information please contact Dr Simon Lewis at [Email Address Removed]

Candidates will be informed if they are to be interviewed by the 19th April, and interviews will be carried out on the 26th April.

Application details: http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/admissions-and-teaching/postgraduates/phd-research/phd-applications-and-funding/

See NERC website for eligibility: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/eligibility.asp