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18 Secondary Forests in West Africa: A Challenge and Opportunity for Management

background

This chapter discusses the importance and threats to secondary forests in West Africa, and the description of the floristic diversity and forest succession in secondary forest ecosystems. In addition, silvicultural and complementary management systems and the opportunities and challenges related are also discussed.

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Plan Vivo, Restoration of degraded ecosystems in the Sahel Burkina Faso

Background

This project plans to restore and maintain the Sahelian woodland in northern Burkina Faso by working closely with communities of farmers whose livelihoods are dependent.

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Regeneration of Five Combretaceae Species along a Latitudinal Gradient in Sahelo-Sudanian Zone of Burkina Faso

Backgruond

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Dominant Species’ Resprout Biomass Dynamics After Cutting in the Sudanian Savanna-Woodlands of West Africa: Long Term Effects of Annual Early Fire and Grazing

BACKGROUND

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Burkina Faso, Greening the Sahel

Background

WeForest works in the Sahel region of north-east Burkina Faso, collaborating with Entrepreneurs without Borders to address climate change, environmental degradation, and poverty through planting trees. 

Open access copy available

CarbonBrake: Nayakla, Burkina Faso

BACKGROUND

CarbonBrake works with Nayakla, Burkina Faso on the reforestation of unproductive land. Villagers actively engage in the program, both planting and maintaining the new forests, which will serve as a source of regular income and enable them to plan and sustain the village. 

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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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Reverdir le Sahel: Le succès de la régénération (Regreening the Sahel: Regeneration success)

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Mise à échelle du reverdissement: six étapes vers le succès--une approche pratique pour la restauration des forêts et des paysages (Scaling up Regreening: Six Steps to Success--A Practical Approach to Forest and Landscape Restoration)

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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.

 

Open access copy available

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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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.

 

Open access copy available

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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Farmers’ planting practices in Burkina Faso

Background

Improved Seed Supply for Agroforestry in African Countries (ISSAAC) is a Danish funded project led by ICRAF, FLD, and national seed centers in Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Uganda. This paper focuses on the project in Burkina Faso, whose overall objective is to improve farmer access to agroforestry seed. 

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Forestry‐based carbon sequestration projects in Africa: Potential benefits and challenges

Background

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Dominant species' resprout biomass dynamics after cutting in the Sudanian savanna-woodlands of West Africa: long term effects of annual early fire and grazing

Background

Given widespread anthropogenic disturbance and land degradation across the Sudanian savanna-woodlands of West Africa, these researchers examined the impacts of early annual fire and grazing on 6 dominant plant species in terms of: shoot mortality, height and girth. Though rather unoriginally, they hypothesized that forest biomass reconstitution is affected by disturbances such as fire and grazing. 

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Improving land and water management

BACKGROUND

This working paper from World Resources Institute (WRI) gives a glimpse of the challenges experienced by smallholder farmers across developing countries. Issues on land – from insecure tenure to degradation, exacerbated by pressures from climate change, has resulted into a significant drop in crop yield. This led to more poverty and food insecurity.

Open access copy available

Promoting Biodiversity: Advances in Evaluating Native Species for Reforestation

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This article describes the design of a long-term species screening trial conducted at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica.

Research Goals & Methods

Growth and survivability data is presented for 84 species (17 popular exotics used for timber and 67 little-known local species with timber potential) at 3 years of age.

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Leaf Litter Decomposition and Mulch Performance from Mixed and Monospecific Plantations of Native Tree Species in Costa Rica

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Facilitating Regeneration of Secondary Forests with the Use of Mixed and Pure Plantations of Indigenous Tree Species

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This research presents the abundance and diversity of woody species regenerating under tropical plantations (mixed and single-species) and a control of natural regeneration at La Selva Biological Station in the Atlantic humid lowlands of Costa Rica.

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