Tropical Dry Forest

Investir dans la forêt de demain : vers un Programme d'action pour la revitalisation de la foresterie en afrique de l'Ouest (Investing in the forests of tomorrow)

The authors provide an analysis of Sahelian forests and place the state of forests in West Africa into a historical context. They provide case studies of agroforestry and assisted natural regeneration (ANR) in forested areas of Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea. Finally, the authors provide recommendations for smart investments in West African forests.

 

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Understanding the Interaction of Rural People with Ecosystems: A Case Study in a Tropical Dry Forest of Mexico

Background

This paper reports on the effort to understand the relationship between the rural communities and the often-studied tropical dry forest. While many papers from scientists have focused on the biology and ecology of the Chamela-Cuixmala region, relatively few have considered human element to their work.

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Régénération naturelle assistée des forêts villageoises et promotion d’activités génératrices de revenus au profit des populations rurales au Burkina Faso

The authors describe the mission of the nongovernmental organization NewTree, which seeks to support rural populations in their fight against desertification and poverty. They discuss assisted natural regeneration in Burkina Faso in particular, as a means of generating sustainable revenue and state that the program has successfully preserved 225 hectares of land while generating income for rural communities.

 

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Les légumineuses arborescentes dans les systèmes de production des zones sèches de Côte d'Ivoire (Arborescent leguminous plants in the production systems of dry zonesin Côte d’Ivoire)

The authors saught to identify woody legumes adapted to dry conditions of Côte d’Ivoire and to determine their success in reforestation. They describe 18 species of woody plants that were successful seven years after planting while also noting several species that responded well to coppicing under tropical dry conditions.

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La participation communautaire au cœur du modèle de restauration de la Grande muraille verte africaine (Community participation at the heart of the model for restoration of the Great Green Wall)

The authors describe the African initiative of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel, which is currently in process. Thay note that the initiative is gainaing visibility and includes 110 participating villages. The article concludes by calling for support for these types of initiaties.

 

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Les acacias: des plantes fixatrices d’azote prometteuses pour le développement durable des zones arides et semi-arides (Acacia: Promising Nitrogen fixing trees for sustainable development in arid and semi-arid areas)

The authors discuss the use of Acacia species for production purposes in arid and semi-arid zones.

 

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Impact des aménagements de conservation des eaux et des sols sur la régénération des ressources ligneuses en zone sahélienne et nord soudanienne du Burkina Faso

The article seeks to catalogue trees used for traditional tools. The authors note that in certain areas, over exploitation of resources for traditional needs contributed to forest and soil degradation. They conclude arguing that traditional knowledge must be documented and taken into account in order for sustainable development projects to be successful.

 

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Quelles sont les causes de la déforestation dans le bassin du Congo? Synthèse bibliographique et études de cas (What are the causes of deforestation in the Congo Basin? Bibliographic synthesis and case studies)

The article presents a literature review of different factors affecting deforestation rates in the Congo (especially Cameroon and Gabon), the most devastating of which they identified as agriculture. The authors argue that the Congo Bassin is one of the most important and best preserved ecosystems on earth. Finally, the author calls for moe studies of socio-economic factors representing the different stages of degradation, so as to better inform policy.

 

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Régénération naturelle assistée: Gestion des arbres champêtres au Sahel (Assisted natural regeneration: management of wild trees in the Sahel)

The authors outline threats to forest regeneration in the Sahel, particularly with regard to agroforestry systems. Better agroforestry practices that incorporate assisted natural regeneration would allow for more sustainable availability of firewood and productivity of agroforestry systems. The authors strongly advocate for major changes in behavior and politics, including decentralization of authority over forest resources.

 

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Pratiques de restauration des zones degradees d’Afrique de l’Est (Restoration practices in degraded landscapes of Eastern Africa)

The author provides an introduction to the state of the land, i.e. extent of degradation in eastern Africa. He then goes on to discuss restoration practices and for degraded landscapes in eastern Africa. The author also provides an evaluation of reforestation practices currently in use. The author ends by reviewing successful technologies for reforestation in eastern Africa and offering suggestions for scaling up.

 

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