Land Use Practices

The Potential for Species Conservation in Tropical Secondary Forests

Background

The importance of tropical secondary forests for conserving biodiversity increases with the degradation of old-growth forests, yet little is known about the role that these forests play in promoting biodiversity. Geospatial and temporal factors influence the role of secondary forests in species conservation, and this synthesis of case studies evaluates the significance of these factors on regional and landscape scales.

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La gestion des aires proteges dans les paysages du PFBC: un etat des lieux

The authors discuss history and threats to protected area systems in the Congo Basin. They outline a new approach to protected area management in the Congo Basin region.

 

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Land Cover Dynamics in the Kirisia Forest Ecosystem, Samburu County, Kenya

background

Throughout Africa, forest ecosystems play a significant role in supporting local livelihoods. In Kenya specifically, these ecosystems contribute to economic development while also improving watershed dynamics. Yet, these ecosystems have experienced significant changes over the decades. This study aims to quantify these land changes in the Kirisia forest ecosystem from 1973 to 2015. 

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Large-Scale Impoverishment of Amazonian Forests by Logging and Fire

Background 

Amazonia typically uses deforestation rates to predict the effects on the carbon cycle and to measure the loss of forest in Brazil. The authors claim that these connections are limited. 

Research Goals & Methods

To widen the scope, the authors aim to include other factors to be used in deforestation mapping. The two primary ones the article focuses on are wood mills and forest burning. 

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Ecological Study of Kirisia Forest Reserve

Background

In order to inform a 2009 Conservation Enterprise Development Program, a preliminary ecological survey was carried out at the Kirisia Forest Reserve in Samburu District, Kenya. The survey was in response to an aerial survey conducted by the Wilderness Foundation UK that examined potential drivers of forest destruction.

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Les Forêts du Bassin du Congo: Etat des Forêts 2006 (Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forests 2006)

The authors compiled an comprehensive report on the state of the forests in twelve forested landscapes of the Congo Basin region of Africa. They include a wide range of topics including conservation, human inhabitants of the forests, exploitation of forest resources, other threats to the forest, and priorities for restoration.

 

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National Forest Policy of Malawi

Background

In Malawi, there has been extensive forest degradation, estimated at an annual loss of 2.8%. The degradation is caused by a variety of factors, including agriculture expansion, human settlement, fire use, timber and non-timber over extraction. The 2016 Forest Policy of Malawi outlines a policy-approach to stop and revert these trends. 

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Crise de l’économie de plantation et modification du paysage agraire dans l’ancienne boucle du cacao: l’exemple de Daoukro (Economic Crisis of Plantation and Landscape Modification in the Former Cocoa Belt: The Example of Daoukro)

background

This article explores the history of agrarian transition in the Ivory Coast's former cacao belt. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The shift away from cacao production to commodities like rubber, rice, cashews and oil palm results in changes in labor conditions and social relations. 

 

Open access copy available

La pratique de la gestion durable des terres: Directives et bonnes pratiques en Afrique subsaharienne (The practice of sustainable land management: Guidance and best practices in sub-Saharan Africa)

The authors present the state of land management in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on unsustainable exploitation of soils, vegetation, and water resources. The authors end by discussing the urgent need for a new system of governance and sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

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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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