Overgrazing and Bush Encroachment
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Understanding the Causes of Bush Encroachment in Africa: the Key to Effective Management of Savanna Grasslands
Tropical Grasslands – Forrajes Tropicales (2013) Volume 1, 215−219 Understanding the causes of bush encroachment in Africa: The key to effective management of savanna grasslands OLAOTSWE E. KGOSIKOMA1 AND KABO MOGOTSI2 1Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw 2Department of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Francistown, Botswana. www.moa.gov.bw Keywords: Rangeland degradation, fire, indigenous ecological knowledge, livestock grazing, rainfall variability. Abstract The increase in biomass and abundance of woody plant species, often thorny or unpalatable, coupled with the suppres- sion of herbaceous plant cover, is a widely recognized form of rangeland degradation. Bush encroachment therefore has the potential to compromise rural livelihoods in Africa, as many depend on the natural resource base. The causes of bush encroachment are not without debate, but fire, herbivory, nutrient availability and rainfall patterns have been shown to be the key determinants of savanna vegetation structure and composition. In this paper, these determinants are discussed, with particular reference to arid and semi-arid environments of Africa. To improve our current under- standing of causes of bush encroachment, an integrated approach, involving ecological and indigenous knowledge systems, is proposed. Only through our knowledge of causes of bush encroachment, both direct and indirect, can better livelihood adjustments be made, or control measures and restoration of savanna ecosystem functioning be realized. Resumen Una forma ampliamente reconocida de degradación de pasturas es el incremento de la abundancia de especies de plan- tas leñosas, a menudo espinosas y no palatables, y de su biomasa, conjuntamente con la pérdida de plantas herbáceas. En África, la invasión por arbustos puede comprometer el sistema de vida rural ya que muchas personas dependen de los recursos naturales básicos. -
Carbon Sequestration in Managed Temperate Coniferous Forests Under Climate Change
Biogeosciences, 13, 1933–1947, 2016 www.biogeosciences.net/13/1933/2016/ doi:10.5194/bg-13-1933-2016 © Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Carbon sequestration in managed temperate coniferous forests under climate change Caren C. Dymond1, Sarah Beukema2, Craig R. Nitschke3, K. David Coates1, and Robert M. Scheller4 1Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Government of British Columbia, Victoria, Canada 2ESSA Technologies Ltd., Vancouver, Canada 3School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, Australia 4Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, USA Correspondence to: Caren C. Dymond ([email protected]) Received: 16 November 2015 – Published in Biogeosciences Discuss.: 21 December 2015 Revised: 11 March 2016 – Accepted: 16 March 2016 – Published: 30 March 2016 Abstract. Management of temperate forests has the poten- 1 Introduction tial to increase carbon sinks and mitigate climate change. However, those opportunities may be confounded by nega- tive climate change impacts. We therefore need a better un- As a global society, we depend on forests and land to take −1 derstanding of climate change alterations to temperate for- up about 2.5 C 1.3 PgC yr , about one-third of our fossil est carbon dynamics before developing mitigation strategies. emissions (Ciais et al., 2013). A reduction in the size of The purpose of this project was to investigate the interac- these sinks could accelerate global change by further increas- tions of species composition, fire, management, and climate ing the accumulation rate of greenhouse gases in the atmo- change in the Copper–Pine Creek valley, a temperate conifer- sphere. -
Shrubl Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland
Maritime Juniper Woodland/ShrublWoodland/Shrublandand State Rank: S1 – Critically Imperiled The Maritime Juniper Woodland/ substrate stability; even Shrubland is a predominantly evergreen in stable situations community within the coastal salt spray community edges may zone; The trees tend to be short (less not be clear. Different than 15 feet) and scattered, with the types of communities tops sculpted by winds and salt spray; grade into and interdigitate with each forests, in areas of continuous changes of other. Very small patches levels of salt spray and substrate types. of any type within The dominant species is eastern red cedar another community (also called juniper), though the should be considered to Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland above a abundance of red cedar is highly variable. be part of the variation of salt marsh. Photo: Patricia Swain, NHESP. It grows in association with scattered trees the main community. Description: Maritime Juniper and shrubs typical of the surrounding Maritime Pitch Pine Woodland/Shrublands occur on and vegetation such as pitch pine, various Woodlands on Dunes are between sand dunes, on the upper edges oaks, black cherry, red maple, blueberries, dominated by pitch pine. Maritime provide habitat for shrubland nesting birds of salt marshes and on cliffs and rocky huckleberries, sumac, and very often, Shrubland communities are dominated by and are important as feeding and resting/ headlands: all areas receiving salt spray poison ivy. Green briar can be abundant in a dense mixture of primarily deciduous roosting areas for migrating birds. from high winds. The maritime juniper more established woodlands, particularly shrubs, but may include red cedar. -
Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis
United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis Analyses and recommendations in view of the 10% target for forest protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2nd revised edition, January 2009 Global Ecological Forest Classification and Forest Protected Area Gap Analysis Analyses and recommendations in view of the 10% target for forest protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Report prepared by: United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Network World Resources Institute (WRI) Institute of Forest and Environmental Policy (IFP) University of Freiburg Freiburg University Press 2nd revised edition, January 2009 The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP- WCMC) is the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organization. The Centre has been in operation since 1989, combining scientific research with practical policy advice. UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous products and services to help decision makers recognize the value of biodiversity and apply this knowledge to all that they do. Its core business is managing data about ecosystems and biodiversity, interpreting and analysing that data to provide assessments and policy analysis, and making the results -
Stuart, Trees & Shrubs
Excerpted from ©2001 by the Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. May not be copied or reused without express written permission of the publisher. click here to BUY THIS BOOK INTRODUCTION HOW THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED Conifers and broadleaved trees and shrubs are treated separately in this book. Each group has its own set of keys to genera and species, as well as plant descriptions. Plant descriptions are or- ganized alphabetically by genus and then by species. In a few cases, we have included separate subspecies or varieties. Gen- era in which we include more than one species have short generic descriptions and species keys. Detailed species descrip- tions follow the generic descriptions. A species description in- cludes growth habit, distinctive characteristics, habitat, range (including a map), and remarks. Most species descriptions have an illustration showing leaves and either cones, flowers, or fruits. Illustrations were drawn from fresh specimens with the intent of showing diagnostic characteristics. Plant rarity is based on rankings derived from the California Native Plant Society and federal and state lists (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). Two lists are presented in the appendixes. The first is a list of species grouped by distinctive morphological features. The second is a checklist of trees and shrubs indexed alphabetically by family, genus, species, and common name. CLASSIFICATION To classify is a natural human trait. It is our nature to place ob- jects into similar groups and to place those groups into a hier- 1 TABLE 1 CLASSIFICATION HIERARCHY OF A CONIFER AND A BROADLEAVED TREE Taxonomic rank Conifer Broadleaved tree Kingdom Plantae Plantae Division Pinophyta Magnoliophyta Class Pinopsida Magnoliopsida Order Pinales Sapindales Family Pinaceae Aceraceae Genus Abies Acer Species epithet magnifica glabrum Variety shastensis torreyi Common name Shasta red fir mountain maple archy. -
NFI Woodland Ecological Condition Scoring Methodology
NFI woodland ecological condition in Great Britain: Methodology National Forest Inventory Issued by: National Forest Inventory, Forestry Commission, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7AT Date: February 2020 Enquiries: Ben Ditchburn, 0300 067 5561 [email protected] Statistician: David Ross [email protected] Website: www.forestresearch.gov.uk/inventory www.forestresearch.gov.uk/forecast NFI woodland ecological condition methodology Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................... 5 The NFI .......................................................................................................... 6 Why report on woodland ecological condition? ...................................................... 7 Development of the NFI condition monitoring approach .......................................... 9 Assessing broad and priority woodland habitat condition ...................................... 9 NFI WEC indicator selection .......................................................................... 10 Classifying and scoring woodlands ................................................................. 14 A straightforward, transparent and evidence-informed approach ......................... 15 Methodology .................................................................................................... 16 Categorising woodland area for reporting ........................................................... 16 Defining the native woodland -
Response of Wildlife to Bush Thinning on the North Central Freehold Farmlands of Namibia T
Forest Ecology and Management 473 (2020) 118330 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Ecology and Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco Response of wildlife to bush thinning on the north central freehold farmlands of Namibia T Matti T. Nghikembuaa,b,c, Laurie L. Markera,b, Bruce Brewera,b, Lauri Mehtätaloc, Mark Appiahc,d, ⁎ Ari Pappinenc, a Cheetah Conservation Fund, Otjiwarongo, Namibia b CCF Bush PTY Ltd, Otijwarongo, Namibia c University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, Joensuu Campus, Yliopistokatu 7, 80101 Joensuu, Finland d Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR-FORIG), Kumasi, Ghana ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Namibian economy. However, bush encroachment affects ap- Bush encroachment proximately 45 million hectares of Namibian farmland and in the absence of appropriate restoration measures, Biodiversity negatively affects local biodiversity and the national economy. Bush thinning operations on three freehold farms Restoration were assessed to examine the response of local ungulates (small, medium, large) and predators (meso, large). Carrying capacity Camera traps were used to capture wildlife in bush encroached and previously thinned habitats. We hy- Overgrazing pothesized that thinning would increase the activity of small, medium, and large ungulates, meso and large Bush thinning predators, and that the magnitude of the increase in activity at thinned sites would differ among animal types. Our results revealed that the expected animal captures were not equal – small, medium, and large ungulates were common, large predators were least common; thinned areas had more expected animal captures and overall animal-treatment interactions were almost significant (p = 0.051). -
Landscape Composition in Aspen Woodlands Under Various Modeled Fire Regimes Eva K
Proceedings of the First Landscape State-and-Transition Simulation Modeling Conference, June 14–16, 2011 Landscape Composition in Aspen Woodlands Under Various Modeled Fire Regimes Eva K. Strand, Stephen C. Bunting, and Lee A. Vierling Authors woodlands according to historic fire occurrence probabili- Eva K. Strand, National Interagency, Fuels, Fire, and ties, are predicted to prevent conifer dominance and loss of Vegetation Technology Transfer Team, [email protected]. aspen stands. Stephen C. Bunting, [email protected] and Lee A. Keywords: Aspen, Populus tremuloides, VDDT, Vierling, Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sci- TELSA, succession, disturbance, fire regime ences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA, leev@ Introduction uidaho.edu. Region-wide decline of quaking aspen has caused con- Abstract cerns that human alteration of vegetation successional and Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is declining across disturbance dynamics jeopardize the long-term persistence the western United States. Aspen habitats are diverse plant of these woodlands. (Bartos 2001, Kay 1997, Shepperd et communities in this region and loss of these habitats can al. 2001, Smith and Smith 2005). Aspen are an important cause shifts in biodiversity, productivity, and hydrology component that provides ecosystem diversity in the conifer across spatial scales. Western aspen occurs on the majority dominated western mountains. Aspen ecosystems provide of sites seral to conifer species, and long-term maintenance a disproportionately diverse array of habitats for flora and of these aspen woodlands requires periodic fire. We use fauna for its relatively small area on the landscape (Bartos field data, remotely sensed data, and fire atlas information 2001, Jones 1993, Kay 1997, Winternitz 1980). -
4.0 Ramoelo 20032018.Indd
© University of Hamburg 2018 All rights reserved Klaus Hess Publishers Göttingen & Windhoek www.k-hess-verlag.de ISBN: 978-3-933117-95-3 (Germany), 978-99916-57-43-1 (Namibia) Language editing: Will Simonson (Cambridge), and Proofreading Pal Translation of abstracts to Portuguese: Ana Filipa Guerra Silva Gomes da Piedade Page desing & layout: Marit Arnold, Klaus A. Hess, Ria Henning-Lohmann Cover photographs: front: Thunderstorm approaching a village on the Angolan Central Plateau (Rasmus Revermann) back: Fire in the miombo woodlands, Zambia (David Parduhn) Cover Design: Ria Henning-Lohmann ISSN 1613-9801 Printed in Germany Suggestion for citations: Volume: Revermann, R., Krewenka, K.M., Schmiedel, U., Olwoch, J.M., Helmschrot, J. & Jürgens, N. (eds.) (2018) Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa – assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions. Biodiversity & Ecology, 6, Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek. Articles (example): Archer, E., Engelbrecht, F., Hänsler, A., Landman, W., Tadross, M. & Helmschrot, J. (2018) Seasonal prediction and regional climate projections for southern Africa. In: Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa – assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions (ed. by Revermann, R., Krewenka, K.M., Schmiedel, U., Olwoch, J.M., Helmschrot, J. & Jürgens, N.), pp. 14–21, Biodiversity & Ecology, 6, Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek. Corrections brought to our attention will be published at the following location: http://www.biodiversity-plants.de/biodivers_ecol/biodivers_ecol.php Biodiversity & Ecology Journal of the Division Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology of Plants, Institute for Plant Science and Microbiology, University of Hamburg Volume 6: Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa Assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions Edited by Rasmus Revermann1, Kristin M. -
A Review of Potential Methods for Monitoring Rangeland Degradation in Libya Abdulsalam Al-Bukhari1,2, Stephen Hallett1* and Tim Brewer1
Al-bukhari et al. Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice (2018) 8:13 Pastoralism: Research, Policy https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-018-0118-4 and Practice REVIEW Open Access A review of potential methods for monitoring rangeland degradation in Libya Abdulsalam Al-bukhari1,2, Stephen Hallett1* and Tim Brewer1 Abstract Natural and human factors exert a profound impact on the degradation of rangelands, human effects being the most significant factor in increasing the severity of deterioration. This occurs through agricultural expansion at the expense of rangelands, and with the number of domestic and wildlife animals exceeding the natural carrying capacity. This raises concerns about the ongoing sustainability of these land resources, as well as the sustainability of traditional pastoral land practices. Rangelands require effective management, which is dependent upon accurate and timely monitoring data to support the assessment of rangeland deterioration. Natural rangelands provide one of the significant pillars of support for the Libyan national economy. Despite the important role of rangeland in Libya from both economic and environmental perspectives, the vegetation cover of Libyan rangeland has changed adversely qualitatively and quantitatively over the past four decades. Ground-based observation methods are widely used to assess rangeland degradation in Libya. However, multi-temporal observations are often not integrated nor repeatable, making it difficult for rangeland managers to detect degradation consistently. Field study costs are also significantly high in comparison with their accuracy and reliability, both in terms of the time and resources required. Remote-sensing approaches offer the advantage of spanning large geographical areas with multiple spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. -
Chapter 10. Amphibians of the Palaearctic Realm
CHAPTER 10. AMPHIBIANS OF THE PALAEARCTIC REALM Figure 1. Summary of Red List categories Brandon Anthony, J.W. Arntzen, Sherif Baha El Din, Wolfgang Böhme, Dan Palaearctic Realm contains 6% of all globally threatened amphibians. The Palaearctic accounts for amphibians in the Palaearctic Realm. CogĄlniceanu, Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Pierre-André Crochet, Claudia Corti, for only 3% of CR species and 5% of the EN species, but 9% of the VU species. Hence, on the The percentage of species in each category Richard Griffiths, Yoshio Kaneko, Sergei Kuzmin, Michael Wai Neng Lau, basis of current knowledge, threatened Palaearctic amphibians are more likely to be in a lower is also given. Pipeng Li, Petros Lymberakis, Rafael Marquez, Theodore Papenfuss, Juan category of threat, when compared with the global distribution of threatened species amongst Manuel Pleguezuelos, Nasrullah Rastegar, Benedikt Schmidt, Tahar Slimani, categories. The percentage of DD species, 13% (62 species), is also much less than the global Max Sparreboom, ùsmail Uøurtaû, Yehudah Werner and Feng Xie average of 23%, which is not surprising given that parts of the region have been well surveyed. Red List Category Number of species Nevertheless, the percentage of DD species is much higher than in the Nearctic. Extinct (EX) 2 Two of the world’s 34 documented amphibian extinctions have occurred in this region: the Extinct in the Wild (EW) 0 THE GEOGRAPHIC AND HUMAN CONTEXT Hula Painted Frog Discoglossus nigriventer from Israel and the Yunnan Lake Newt Cynops Critically Endangered (CR) 13 wolterstorffi from around Kunming Lake in Yunnan Province, China. In addition, one Critically Endangered (EN) 40 The Palaearctic Realm includes northern Africa, all of Europe, and much of Asia, excluding Endangered species in the Palaearctic Realm is considered possibly extinct, Scutiger macu- Vulnerable (VU) 58 the southern extremities of the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent (south of the latus from central China. -
Wetland and Grassland Restoration
Wetland and Grassland Restoration Name of Organization: North Dakota Natural Resources Trust Federal Tax ID#: 36-3512179 Contact Personrritle: Terry Allbee Address: 1605 E. Capitol Ave., Ste. 101 City: Bismarck State: North Dakota Zip Code: 58501-2102 E-mail Address: [email protected] Web Site Address: www.ndnrt.com Phone: 701-223-8501 Fax#: 701-223-6937 MAJOR Directive: 0 Directive A. Provide access to private and public lands for sportsmen, including projects that create fish and wildlife habitat and provide access for sportsmen; 0 Directive B. Improve, maintain, and restore water quality, soil conditions, plant diversity, animal systems and to support other practices of stewardship to enhance farming and ranching; X Directive C. Develop, enhance, conserve, and restore wildlife and fish habitat on private and public lands; and 0 Directive D. Conserve natural areas for recreation through the establishment and development of parks and other recreation areas. 1 Additional Directive: 0 Directive A. Provide access to private and public lands for sportsmen, including projects that create fish and wildlife habitat and provide access for sportsmen; X Directive B. Improve, maintain, and restore water quality, soil conditions, plant diversity, animal systems and to support other practices of stewardship to enhance farming and ranching; 0 Directive C. Develop, enhance, conserve, and restore wildlife and fish habitat on private and public lands; and 0 Directive D. Conserve natural areas for recreation through the establishment and development of parks and other recreation areas. Type of organization: 0 State Agency 0 Political Subdivision 0 Tribal Entity X Tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation, as described in United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C.