Land Use Practices
Land Cover Dynamics in the Kirisia Forest Ecosystem, Samburu County, KenyabackgroundThroughout 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. Open access copy available |
Large-Scale Impoverishment of Amazonian Forests by Logging and FireBackgroundAmazonia 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 & MethodsTo 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Ecological Study of Kirisia Forest ReserveBackgroundIn 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. Open access copy available |
National Forest Policy of MalawiBackgroundIn 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. Open access copy available |
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)backgroundThis article explores the history of agrarian transition in the Ivory Coast's former cacao belt. Conclusions & TakeawaysThe 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.
Open access copy available |
Carbon sequestration in Africa: The land tenure problemBackgroundInconsistent land tenure practices across Africa are an obstacle to expanding tropical afforestation project with the goal of carbon sequestration. Few discussions of tropical afforestation in Africa address this obstacle. Open access copy available |
Understanding the Interaction of Rural People with Ecosystems: A Case Study in a Tropical Dry Forest of MexicoBackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
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)Open access copy available |
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.
Open access copy available |
