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The recovery of tropical ecosystems after disturbanceis of interest for future programs of sustainable development. The dynamicsof such processes was evaluated at 26 sites in Venezuela. Ant and plant diversitywere compared between disturbed forests and surrounding savannas, differentstages of recovery and nearby plots with primary vegetation. We estimatedthe species composition for ants, the number of species and equitability forants and plants, and the plant coverage at each site. Of these indices, percentageof plant cover showed the most rapid return to pre-disturbance values. Ina few cases, full return occurred after around 25 years in both savanna andforest. A multiple factorial analysis of ant composition showed that speciesstructure in old recovered sites converged sometimes, but not always, to thatin surrounding natural habitats. Therefore, ant diversity may be used to monitorecosystem recovery. However, even small scale human intervention may haveirreversible effects on tropical habitats. The estimated time constant forforest recovery could serve to calculate human carrying capacity of forestsites for eventual sustainable use of these ecosystems in the Neotropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Venezuelan Unrest Increases Pressure on Health Services," by E. Robertson, which was published on a 2013 issue of the magazine.

Presents a letter to the editor discussing the impact of the political crisis in Venezuela on the Venezuelan scientific infrastructure.