Sub-Saharan Africa
Climate-Smart Conservation Agriculture, Farm Values and Tenure Security: Implications for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Congo BasinBackgroundThe Congo Basin forest houses a high amount of biodiversity and is an important area to conserve in light of climate change. This region is also important for agriculture and local livelihoods, though current practices are degrading the forest. Certain policy issues surrounding land tenure and investments may be hindering climate smart agriculture. Open access copy available |
The association between rainforest disturbance and recovery, tree community composition, and community traits in the Yangambi area in the Democratic Republic of the CongoBackgroundForests in the Congo Basin are becoming increasingly threatened by human disturbances. These forests play a crucial role in global biodiversity, though understanding the full impact of forest degradation has been difficult due to the intact canopy cover. It is important to assess the extent that human activities have impacted these forests to make decisions on the forests’ conservation and management practices. Open access copy available |
The Effects of Prescribed Dry Season Burning on Woody Species Composition, Mole National Park, GhanaBackgroundSavannas are valuable ecological communities that support many species and are known to be heavily shaped by fire disturbances. Fire is a recognized tool for controlling excess fuel and improving habitat. However, it is thought that the timing and frequency of fire prescriptions may impact characteristics of savanna growth and composition. Open access copy available |
Suppression of seed production as a long-term strategy in weed biological control: The combined impact of two biocontrol agents on Acacia mearnsii in South AfricaBackgroundAcacia mearnsii is a woody plant native to Southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Introduced into South Africa in the mid-1800s for timber, the species has become invasive to the region. Reducing the amount of precipitation reaching the ground, hindering agriculture and lowering biodiversity are just a few of the detrimental impacts. Though there has been pushback to controlling this species for commercial interests, two biological control agents, a seed-feeding weevil and a flower-galling midge are known to control species spread and are introduced to the region. Available with subscription or purchase |
Old timber plantations and secondary forests attain levels of plant diversity and structure similar to primary forests in the West African humid tropicsBackgroundThere is a high rate of biodiversity loss and deforestation in tropical ecosystems. In order to maintain global biodiversity, it is necessary to conserve plant diversity in alternative forest landscapes such as secondary forests and plantations. Comparing conservation values and tradeoffs of different forest landscapes is important for sustainable forest management and conservation practices. Open access copy available |
A cautionary note for forest landscape restoration in drylands: cattle production systems in northwest Madagascar’s dry forestsBACKGROUNDIt is evident that land tenure security is crucial for successful restoration. Unfortunately, in Madagascar, dry forests are considered unoccupied and unowned even when communities have long-established claims under customary tenure systems. The authors stated that collective tenure recognition efforts were underway in Madagascar, but limited knowledge of agropastoralist cattle production strategies impeded the efforts to develop tenure reforms. The authors examined how cattle raisers in the Boney Region in northwest Madagascar organize pastoral spaces and cattle production strategies in the area’s dry forest. Open access copy available |
Tropical surface gold mining: A review of ecological impacts and restoration strategiesBACKGROUNDOpen access copy available |
Adaptation of five co-occurring tree and shrub species to water stress and its implication in restoration of degraded landsBACKGROUNDAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Potential for low-cost carbon removal through tropical reforestationbackgroundThe UNFCCC COP21 (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties) created the Paris Agreement in 2015, which pledges to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5 °C.” For this to happen, we must both reduce how much carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released and find ways to capture CO2 that is already in the atmosphere. This study explores two ways this might happen using Nature-based Solutions: tree planting in the form of reforestation and afforestation, and the prevention of deforestation. Open access copy available |
Conservation, green/blue grabbing, and accumulation by dispossession in TanzaniaBackgroundA number of scholars point out that current processes surrounding the control of land and other resources lead to the loss of land for some alongside the accumulation of wealth by others. According to them, recent forms of neoliberal conservation enable capital accumulation by powerful groups through shifts in ownership and access over common land away from communities. The authors of this paper sought to compare wildlife and coastal conservation projects in Tanzania to understand the similarities and differences in the types of dispossessions and accumulation that occur in these two types of ecosystems through conservation programs. Available with subscription or purchase |
