Nature benefits when logged tropical forests are left to recover – here’s how

A green-crested lizard. Biodiversity remained relatively high even after logging of old- growth forests, suggesting that there is value in conserving logged forests. Charlie Marsh, CC BY-NC-ND

In parts of the tropics like the island of Borneo, the pace of environmental change has been dramatic. Not long ago, the forests that covered most of the island were largely intact. But in recent decades, the scale of logging has intensified, and more areas of harvested forest have been converted to farmland.

In Borneo, this is predominantly for plantations of oil palm trees used to produce palm oil, approximately three-quarters of which are located where pristine forest grew in the 1970s.