Validation of ecological indicators to evaluate sustainability of forest management in Humid tropics, with emphasis on forests with high conservation value.

This study quantifies the impacts of different intensities of tree harvesting on indicators of stand structure and composition and on butterflies communities in a certified forest in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. The impacts on the three indicators were assessed by determining thresholds of acceptable/unacceptable levels of change based on existent methodologies. The use of thresholds is a useful tool to demonstrate the impact level of different management practices. Indicators were measured in three forests: forest with low harvesting (ABI), forest with high harvesting (AAI) and a forest without harvesting, used as a control (BR). Vegetation density, basal area and palm abundance was measured considering only individuals with DBH>10cm, in temporal 50m x 50m plots. Canopy openness and vertical structure was assessed in 10m x 10m temporal plots. Butterfly communities were evaluated in 500m transects, distributed in such a manner as to include all different environments within the forest.