. Cloud Forest Agenda. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 20. Cloud forest agenda the United States ( consulted January 2004). RESTORATION OF CLOUD FORESTS Restoration is becoming recognized as a necessary part of ensuring the maintenance of ecosystem services and biodiversity in tropical montane landscapes (Sarmiento, 2000). Cloud forest restoration is also part of programmes to establish biological corridors between highland and lowland forests, to allow the annual altitudinal migrations of many species. The Choco-Andean corridor in Ecuador is an example of
. Cloud Forest Agenda. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 20. Cloud forest agenda the United States ( consulted January 2004). RESTORATION OF CLOUD FORESTS Restoration is becoming recognized as a necessary part of ensuring the maintenance of ecosystem services and biodiversity in tropical montane landscapes (Sarmiento, 2000). Cloud forest restoration is also part of programmes to establish biological corridors between highland and lowland forests, to allow the annual altitudinal migrations of many species. The Choco-Andean corridor in Ecuador is an example of landscape-scale forest restoration, linking cloud forests with Pacific lowland rainforests. Most interest in montane forest restoration has been in Latin America and studies are starting to identify some of the issues involved. A review of succession across different types of Neotropical forest found that such forests have a high ability to regenerate if propagule sources are close by and land-use intensity before abandonment has not been severe [Guariguata and Ostertag, 2001). However, in the central Andes the natural regeneration of cleared cloud forests can be prevented by a stage of arrested natural succession in the form of fire-climax grasslands. This can result in the mountain landscapes remaining fragmented [Sarmiento, 1997). Forest regeneration by seeding may only be possible through removal of the aerial tillers and the extensive root mass of grass species. Natural regeneration of cleared cloud forest is favoured if some tree 'survivors' remain, to enhance the arrival of seeds via fruit-eating birds, to provide shade and regeneration of interspersed patches, and to stimulate dispersal for rapid initiation of ecological succession (Sarmiento, 1997). The key role of frugivorous birds in cloud forest vegetation structure, composition and regeneration has also been identified in Costa Rica [Kappelle and Wilms, 1998). It is recommended that forest-edge tree species should
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