Arun Dayanandan

Arun’s research examines the ecological dynamics of land use and forest recovery in Latin America, with a focus on Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. His work investigates whether abandoned rubber plantations, often described as “green deserts”, can catalyze the regrowth of mid- and late-successional woody plant species. By surveying naturally regenerating woody plant communities and their size structures in plots spanning abandoned plantations, older secondary forest, and cleared land, he assesses how plantations influence the structure, richness, and diversity of natural regeneration. Complementing this analysis, Arun also compares patterns of natural regeneration under monoculture tree plantations to evaluate how different land uses affect ecological recovery trajectories. As Brazil advances the Trinational Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, which aims to restore 15 million hectares by 2050, his research provides empirical evidence on the restoration potential and constraints of plantation and secondary forest landscapes within this degraded biome.