Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: a case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia

This case study examines the impact of recurrent wildfires on the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania region in Bolivia between 2000 and 2012, identifying a transition toward a more fire-adapted state characterized by a shift in species composition.

• Recurrent wildfires in the Chiquitano forests lead to a significant loss in biomass and affect both small and large trees, while triggering a shift in tree species composition where existing fire-tolerant species become more dominant. This ecological transition is associated with an increase in species richness despite the loss of biomass.
• Wildfires are expected to become a more dominant disturbance in tropical forests due to the combined effects of more frequent droughts, rapid frontier expansion, and increasing forest fragmentation.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2015). Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: a case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia. https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-ecological-transitions-under-recurrent-wildfire-a-case-study-in-the-seasonally-dry-tropical-forests-of-the-chiquitania-bolivia/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: a case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia. 2015. https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-ecological-transitions-under-recurrent-wildfire-a-case-study-in-the-seasonally-dry-tropical-forests-of-the-chiquitania-bolivia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: a case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia |date=9 November 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-ecological-transitions-under-recurrent-wildfire-a-case-study-in-the-seasonally-dry-tropical-forests-of-the-chiquitania-bolivia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2015understanding, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: a case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-ecological-transitions-under-recurrent-wildfire-a-case-study-in-the-seasonally-dry-tropical-forests-of-the-chiquitania-bolivia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }