In Burkina Faso, Sudanian savannas are important ecosystems for conservation of plant diversity. Due to desertification and insecurity, population migration from the North has increased human density ...and anthropogenic pressure on southern savannas. This study aims to investigate knowledge of local populations on ecosystem services (ES) and perception of their conservation.
Individual semi-structured interviews about knowledge on ES and ecosystem conservation issues were conducted. Informants were selected according to sociocultural groups and sex in three areas of different land use intensity: the communal area of Dano (CAD), the Total Wildlife Reserve of Bontioli (TWRB) and the Game Ranch of Nazinga (GRN). The use value and vulnerability index of each plant species were determined. A cluster analysis and a principal component analysis were carried out to identify the particular knowledge of different ethnic groups.
Overall, 163 plant species were cited for fifteen ES. Provisioning services were most frequently cited (100%), regulating services second most frequently (92.47%). Entire plants were exclusively used for ES with non-material benefits (protection against wind, for shading, soil fertility, erosion prevention, tourism and religion). The ten species contributing most to ES provision were Vitellaria paradoxa, Parkia biglobosa, Diospyros mespiliformis, Adansonia digitata, Lannea microcarpa, Faidherbia albida, Khaya senegalensis, Afzelia africana, Ficus sycomorus, Pterocarpus erinaceus. Seven of them were identified as highly vulnerable. Around GRN, migrants and natives shared the same knowledge, while migrants in TWRB used the ES only to a small extent due to restricted contact with the native population. Migrants and natives of GRN had more knowledge on tourism and crafts services while the natives of CAD and TWRB made use of the services that sustain the quality of the agricultural land and meet their primary needs. To reduce further degradation, different communities suggested unanimously raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. The most quoted motivations to preserve ecosystems were vegetation sustainability and village development.
This study documented important local knowledge-based information to guide cultivation of local multipurpose species and initiation of communities to practice best management strategies for sustainable conservation of biodiversity.
Over the last decades agroforestry parklands in Burkina Faso have come under increasing demographic as well as climatic pressures, which are threatening indigenous tree species that contribute ...substantially to income generation and nutrition in rural households. Analyzing the threats as well as the species vulnerability to them is fundamental for priority setting in conservation planning. Guided by literature and local experts we selected 16 important food tree species (Acacia macrostachya, Acacia senegal, Adansonia digitata, Annona senegalensis, Balanites aegyptiaca, Bombax costatum, Boscia senegalensis, Detarium microcarpum, Lannea microcarpa, Parkia biglobosa, Sclerocarya birrea, Strychnos spinosa, Tamarindus indica, Vitellaria paradoxa, Ximenia americana, Ziziphus mauritiana) and six key threats to them (overexploitation, overgrazing, fire, cotton production, mining and climate change). We developed a species-specific and spatially explicit approach combining freely accessible datasets, species distribution models (SDMs), climate models and expert survey results to predict, at fine scale, where these threats are likely to have the greatest impact. We find that all species face serious threats throughout much of their distribution in Burkina Faso and that climate change is predicted to be the most prevalent threat in the long term, whereas overexploitation and cotton production are the most important short-term threats. Tree populations growing in areas designated as 'highly threatened' due to climate change should be used as seed sources for ex situ conservation and planting in areas where future climate is predicting suitable habitats. Assisted regeneration is suggested for populations in areas where suitable habitat under future climate conditions coincides with high threat levels due to short-term threats. In the case of Vitellaria paradoxa, we suggest collecting seed along the northern margins of its distribution and considering assisted regeneration in the central part where the current threat level is high due to overexploitation. In the same way, population-specific recommendations can be derived from the individual and combined threat maps of the other 15 food tree species. The approach can be easily transferred to other countries and can be used to analyze general and species specific threats at finer and more local as well as at broader (continental) scales in order to plan more selective and efficient conservation actions in time. The concept can be applied anywhere as long as appropriate spatial data are available as well as knowledgeable experts.
Background
Garcinia kola
is an indigenous multipurpose tree species commonly found in the tropical rain forest zone of West and Central Africa. Providing economic, ecological, and socio-cultural ...benefits for people, they have potentials to improve the regional and local income generation to the farmers but the cultivation of the species is very limited in Nigeria.
Methods
The study investigated cultivation and farmers’ perceptions on the impacts of climate change on goods and services provided by
G. kola
in Nigeria. Structured questioners and interviews were used. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic such as frequency, percentage, chi-square, and multinomial logit regressions with SPSS Version 20 and R software Version 3.1.0.
Results
The results show that farmers are presently not cultivating
G. kola
, and most of the available stands were inherited from grandparents. The farmers still believe it is only God that can make
G. kola
to germinate; however, information about the new improved methods of raising
G. kola
was not spread across farmers’ communities. Over 93% of these farmers were not aware of these new methods, and the only means they raise the species is by picking the wildlings that regenerate naturally close to mother tree and are rarely found. The finding also shows that farmers are well aware of climate change and its impact on crop productivity is not clear to them. The result shows that five explanatory variables (age, gender, marital status, education level, household size and primary occupation) are the main factors significantly influencing farmers’ perception of climate change and the cultivation of the
G. kola
. During interview section, the farmers reported variability of Harmattan season influences fruit production of the species; according to them, increase in Harmattan season usually leads to increase in fruiting of
G. kola
.
Conclusions
Based on our findings, all the 215 respondent interviewed agree that climatic variability influences the availability of
G. kola
which will in turn have significant effects on the goods and services provided to the people
.
Efforts should be made at educating the rural farmers on propagation possibilities, potential ecosystem services, and the impact of climate change on multiple-purpose agroforestry species.
In Africa, protected areas can play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration but they are threatened due to increasing land degradation and ...deforestation (LDD). The Total Wildlife Reserve of Bontioli (TWRB) in Burkina Faso is one of the country’s refuges with high biodiversity. This reserve is seriously threatened by human activities, and little information is available about the on-site causes of degradation extent. This study was carried out to investigate drivers and extent of LDD in the TWRB. Household surveys, focus group discussions and field observations were used to identify socio-economic factors that influence land use and land cover (LULC) changes. The socio-economic data were analyzed using rankings and binary logistic regression techniques. Logistic regression model was used to establish the relationship between socio-economic drivers and land cover change. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to analyze land use and LULC changes over 29 years, employing Landsat images of 1984, 2001 and 2013. We performed a supervised classification based on the maximum likelihood algorithm to derive vegetation maps. The results revealed significant (p <0.05) LULC change from one class of LULC to another. From 1984 to 2001, tree savannas, bare soils and agricultural lands increased by 17.55%, 18.79% and 21778.79%, respectively, while woodland, gallery forest, shrub savannas and water bodies decreased by 22.02%, 5.03%, 40.08% and 31.2%, respectively. From 2001 to 2013, gallery forests decreased by 14.33%, tree savannas by 22.30% and shrub savannas by 5.14%, while agricultural lands increased by 167.87% and woodlands by 3.21%. LDD occurred at a higher rate in areas bordering the reserve compared to the core-protected area and the inaccessible areas. Agricultural expansion and wood cutting activities were the main direct causes of LDD. Extensive land utilization for agriculture is a major threat to the conservation of biodiversity in this reserve. The research highlighted the soundness of GIS and remote sensing practical application to assess vegetation change extent in Burkina Faso. Understanding the signal extent of vegetation change is particularly important to support efforts by policy makers to halt or at least to slow down the deforestation in the country. There is a need to control the immediate causes of LULC dynamics by limiting agricultural land expansion and wood cutting in the study area.
The safeguarding and sustainable management of natural resources, particularly plant resources, requires the implementation of conservation strategies. The study of plant communities is an essential ...tool for monitoring the development of plant formations. The aim of this study was to identify the plant communities on inselbergs of Burkina Faso in West Africa, to provide a database to supporting the sustainable management of the plant resources withing these fragile ecosystems. Stratified and random sampling was carried out on selected inselbergs in different parts of Burkina Faso along a climatic gradient. In the different phytogeographical sectors, inselbergs consist of granite or sandstone. Plant surveys were conducted using 900 m2 plots for the woody stratum and 100 m2 plots for the herbaceous stratum. An exhaustive list of plant species was compiled and an abundance-dominance coefficient for each species was determined. A DCA, through PCord.6, was used to obtain preliminary groups. Indicator species were determined by a Monte Carlo test with p < 0.05 and calculation of the fidelity index (Phi). Diversity indices through the Shannon index and equitability of Pielou were calculated using Pcord.6 to compare plant communities. A total of 12 plant communities were identified for the inselbergs of Burkina Faso, including 9 communities for savannah and 3 communities for monocotyledonous-mats and ephemeral flush vegetation. The main ecological factors governing the distribution of these inselberg plant communities were found to be were found to be climate, soil depth, soil moisture and altitude. In savannah plant communities, the Terminalia laxiflora and Tephrosia nana communities (unit 6) had the highest number (13) of diagnostic species and the highest fidelity (Phi = 0.97) was for Cleome viscosa species in the Acacia tortilis and Aristida kerstingii communities (unit 1). Diagnostic species numbers vary from 6 to 4 in monocotyledonous-mats and ephemeral flush vegetation and the Dopatrium longidens (Phi = 0.76) and Cyperus podocarpus (Phi = 0.75) have the highest fidelity to unit 3. The Shannon diversity index of deep soil plant communities was highest and significantly different from that of the other savannah communities. Concerning the Piélou equitability index, high values were found in all plant groups, reflecting the absence of species dominance and a balance of the different plant groups.
Floristically, Afrotrilepis pilosa infestation of inselbergs is common in West Africa. In Burkina Faso, in addition to Afrotrilepis pilosa, 10 other plant species are found specifically on inselbergs. Given the fragility of the ecosystems in which they live, these inselberg species should be protected.
Tropical forests play a significant role in climate change by sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, deforestation and forest degradation adversely affect these forests’ carbon stocks. ...Reports indicate that anthropogenic activities have led to forest degradation and deforestation in Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary (BFMS) and Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve (KSNR). This study assessed the effects of these activities on the carbon stocks of BFMS and KSNR. Using satellite imagery, field measurements and allometric models, carbon stocks of the study area were assessed from 1992 to 2023. The assessment revealed significant losses attributed to anthropogenic activities, such as hunting, farming and charcoal burning. BFMS experienced a total loss of 40,236 Mg C, while KSNR lost 272,109 Mg C. The closed forests had the highest carbon stock amongst the different vegetation types, with soil representing the most significant carbon pool in the protected areas, revealing the influence of vegetation structure on carbon sequestration and the need for soil conservation. The substantial carbon sequestration potential observed in the different vegetation types of the study area indicates that the Forest-Savannah Transition Zone is a prospective area for climate change mitigation aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (Goals 13 and 15) and the National Climate Change Policy of Ghana. These findings provide valuable insights for carbon trading and biodiversity conservation, emphasizing the potential of nature-based solutions in addressing global climate challenges.
West African savannas are severely threatened with intensified land use and increasing degradation. Bees are important for terrestrial biodiversity as they provide native plant species with ...pollination services. However, little information is available regarding their mutualistic interactions with woody plant species. In the first network study from sub-Saharan West Africa, we investigated the effects of land-use intensity and climatic seasonality on plant–bee communities and their interaction networks. In total, we recorded 5686 interactions between 53 flowering woody plant species and 100 bee species. Bee-species richness and the number of interactions were higher in the low compared to medium and high land-use intensity sites. Bee- and plant-species richness and the number of interactions were higher in the dry compared to the rainy season. Plant–bee visitation networks were not strongly affected by land-use intensity; however, climatic seasonality had a strong effect on network architecture. Null-model corrected connectance and nestedness were higher in the dry compared to the rainy season. In addition, network specialization and null-model corrected modularity were lower in the dry compared to the rainy season. Our results suggest that in our study region, seasonal effects on mutualistic network architecture are more pronounced compared to land-use change effects. Nonetheless, the decrease in bee-species richness and the number of plant–bee interactions with an increase in land-use intensity highlights the importance of savanna conservation for maintaining bee diversity and the concomitant provision of ecosystem services.
Inselbergs are isolated rock outcrops that rise abruptly above the surrounding plains. Granitic and gneissic inselbergs are geologically and geomorphologically old and occur throughout a broad ...spectrum of climatic zones. They form microclimatically and edaphically dry growth sites that support a highly specialized vegetation. Based on physiognomic criteria a number of habitat types can be distinguished that are widespread on inselbergs (e.g. ephemeral flush vegetation, monocotyledonous mats, rock pools). Three hot spots of global inselberg plant diversity can be identified which are both rich in species and endemics: a) southeastern Brazil, b) Madagascar and c) southwestern Australia.
Garcinia kola is an indigenous multipurpose tree species, with significant cultural value and medical benefits, commonly found in the tropical rain forest zone of West and Central Africa. The species ...has been reported to be over-used and are now classified as vulnerable species close to commercial extinction. Hence, requires immediate conservation action. This study assessed the impact of climate on habitat for cultivation of G. kola in Nigeria. Ecological niche modelling approach was used to estimate the current geographical range and predicts the future distribution of G. kola in Nigeria, using the nineteen (19) bioclimatic environment layers at a 30 ′secs resolution. Two climate models were used (HadGEM2-ES and CNRM-CM5) with two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios as predictor variables for projections of the potential geographical range of this species for 2050 horizon. Results revealed that about 397,094 km2 area, corresponding to 43.6% of Nigeria land surface, are currently suitable for cultivating G. kola. The future projections showed a significant decrease in area suitable for propagating G. kola under the RCP scenarios used in the two climate models. HadGEM2-ES predicts 27.2 and 26.1% loss of suitable habitats under RCP 4.5 and 8.5, respectively, by 2050 while CNRM-CM5 projects 26.7 and 35.8% decrease for the corresponding RCPs. Furthermore, the HadGEM2-ES predicts that 149,365 and 159,384 km2 corresponding to 16.4% and 17.5% of total land area will be suitable for cultivation of G. kola in Nigeria under RCP 4.5 and 8.5, respectively. The model results showed that climate change would have significant influence on the future suitable habitat of G. kola in Nigeria and the species is more subservient in moist, humid area and some part of derived savanna zone in Nigeria. The results underscore the significant influences of climate change on the ecology of G. kola. Based on these results, immediate action should be initiated to conserve this valued species and secure their inherent agro-ecosystems services
Isolated monoliths of granitic and/or gneissic rock rising abruptly from the surrounding landscape are known as inselbergs. Dome-shaped inselbergs are common throughout the Atlantic Forest in ...south-eastern Brazil, a region known as Sugarloaf Land (SLL). This study aimed to create the first checklist of vascular plant species occurring on lowland inselbergs in SLL, with a focus on vegetation islands. We used information from online databases, our own field sampling and data from previously-published studies. We found 548 vascular plant species (505 angiosperms; 43 ferns and lycophytes) belonging to 69 families and 212 genera. Of all identified species, 536 are native and 12 are naturalised.
We updated the information currently available in Flora do Brasil 2020, as 59% of the angiosperms and 63% of the ferns and lycophytes on our checklist were not previously characterised as occurring on rock outcrops. As a first step towards generating a Virtual Herbarium of lowland inselberg vascular plants, we added barcode vouchers with images available online for 75% of the total number of vascular species. In the official lists of endangered species, 115 angiosperms and five ferns and lycophytes are mentioned. However, the conservation status of many species have not yet been evaluated (77% angiosperms; 88% ferns and lycophytes), thus this list is an important step towards their conservation. The information provided herein is essential for management programmes related to rock outcrops in Brazil as they are facing serious threats to conservation.
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