Summary
Please note this is a pre-print.
Timber extraction is one of the most widespread land uses in forested environments, and subsequent environmental degradation and impacts on wildlife have been largely mentioned. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) under certification standards could help to reconcile forest production with biodiversity conservation standards. However, whether this is a convenient strategy for the conservation of the medium-large mammal assemblage of the Argentine Austral Yungas remains unknown. Here, we compare the richness, frequency of signs and identities of medium-large mammal species, as well as three mammal-plant interactions (seedling trampling, plant browsing and fruit removal) between an area under forestry certification and a similar area without forestry use (control).
Our approach showed that the native medium-large mammal assemblage was not quantitatively affected by forestry activity under the international forest certification management guidelines (FSC), after 3-4 years of forestry use. This was evidenced by detected species richness and frequency of signs, as well as by grouping species by size classes and trophic groups (with the exception of carnivores). Seedling trampling and plant browsing in the lower strata (< 1 m height) did not differ among sites, although results were less robust in the case of mammal species identity, fruit removal and plant browsing above one meter height.
Although in our study we found certain species-specific differences, with a predominance of generalist species and certain reduced biological interactions in the logged compared to the unlogged area, we propose that forest intervention under responsible management guidelines is convenient to conserve a significant proportion of medium-large mammal diversity of the Argentine Austral Yungas. Responsible forest management is an “intermediate path” between deforestation and strict conservation, for which environmental and governmental institutions should support and promote it.