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Simba LD, Te Beest M, Hawkins HJ, Larson KW, Palmer AR, Sandström C, Smart KG, Kerley GIH, Cromsigt JPGM. Wilder rangelands as a natural climate opportunity: Linking climate action to biodiversity conservation and social transformation. AMBIO 2024; 53:678-696. [PMID: 38296876 PMCID: PMC10991972 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01976-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Rangelands face threats from climate and land-use change, including inappropriate climate change mitigation initiatives such as tree planting in grassy ecosystems. The marginalization and impoverishment of rangeland communities and their indigenous knowledge systems, and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, are additional major challenges. To address these issues, we propose the wilder rangelands integrated framework, co-developed by South African and European scientists from diverse disciplines, as an opportunity to address the climate, livelihood, and biodiversity challenges in the world's rangelands. More specifically, we present a Theory of Change to guide the design, monitoring, and evaluation of wilder rangelands. Through this, we aim to promote rangeland restoration, where local communities collaborate with regional and international actors to co-create new rangeland use models that simultaneously mitigate the impacts of climate change, restore biodiversity, and improve both ecosystem functioning and livelihoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavhelesani D Simba
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha, 6031, South Africa.
| | - Mariska Te Beest
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha, 6031, South Africa
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Grasslands, Forests and Wetlands Node, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Heidi-Jayne Hawkins
- Conservation International, Forrest House, Belmont Park, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Private Bag X1, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Keith W Larson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anthony R Palmer
- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6139, South Africa
| | - Camilla Sandström
- Department of Political Science, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Kathleen G Smart
- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6139, South Africa
- Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON), Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Graham I H Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha, 6031, South Africa
| | - Joris P G M Cromsigt
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, P.O. Box 77000, Gqeberha, 6031, South Africa
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden
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Gillson L, Hoffman MT, Gell PA, Ekblom A, Bond WJ. Trees, carbon, and the psychology of landscapes. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:359-367. [PMID: 38129213 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Mitigating climate change while safeguarding biodiversity and livelihoods is a major challenge. However, rampant afforestation threatens biodiversity and livelihoods, with questionable benefits to carbon storage. The narrative of landscape degradation is often applied without considering the history of the landscape. While some landscapes are undoubtedly deforested, others existed in open or mosaic states before human intervention, or have been deliberately maintained as such. In psychology, a 'fundamental attribution error' is made when characteristics are attributed without consideration of context or circumstances. We apply this concept to landscapes, and then propose a process that avoids attribution errors by testing a null hypothesis regarding past forest extent, using palaeoecology and other long-term data, alongside ecological and stakeholder knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Gillson
- Plant Conservation Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; From May 2024: Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - M Timm Hoffman
- Plant Conservation Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Peter A Gell
- Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University, Ballarat, Australia
| | | | - William J Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Coastal Forest in Eastern Southern Africa has Savanna Bush-clump Origins. Ecosystems 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-022-00814-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Wills AR, Shirima DD, Villemaire-Côté O, Platts PJ, Knight SJ, Loveridge R, Seki H, Waite CE, Munishi PKT, Lyatuu H, Bernal B, Pfeifer M, Marshall AR. A practice-led assessment of landscape restoration potential in a biodiversity hotspot. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210070. [PMID: 36374130 PMCID: PMC9662286 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective restoration planning tools are needed to mitigate global carbon and biodiversity crises. Published spatial assessments of restoration potential are often at large scales or coarse resolutions inappropriate for local action. Using a Tanzanian case study, we introduce a systematic approach to inform landscape restoration planning, estimating spatial variation in cost-effectiveness, based on restoration method, logistics, biomass modelling and uncertainty mapping. We found potential for biomass recovery across 77.7% of a 53 000 km2 region, but with some natural spatial discontinuity in moist forest biomass, that was previously assigned to human causes. Most areas with biomass deficit (80.5%) were restorable through passive or assisted natural regeneration. However, cumulative biomass gains from planting outweighed initially high implementation costs meaning that, where applicable, this method yielded greater long-term returns on investment. Accounting for ecological, funding and other uncertainty, the top 25% consistently cost-effective sites were within protected areas and/or moderately degraded moist forest and savanna. Agro-ecological mosaics had high biomass deficit but little cost-effective restoration potential. Socio-economic research will be needed to inform action towards environmental and human development goals in these areas. Our results highlight value in long-term landscape restoration investments and separate treatment of savannas and forests. Furthermore, they contradict previously asserted low restoration potential in East Africa, emphasizing the importance of our regional approach for identifying restoration opportunities across the tropics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail R. Wills
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - Deo D. Shirima
- National Carbon Monitoring Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- Reforest Africa, PO Box 5, Mang'ula, Kilombero District, Tanzania
| | - Olivier Villemaire-Côté
- Centre for Forest Research, Department of Forest and Wood Sciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC Canada, G1V 0A6
| | - Philip J. Platts
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
- BeZero Carbon Ltd, Discovery House, Banner St, London EC1Y 8QE, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Sarah J. Knight
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - Robin Loveridge
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
- The Biodiversity Consultancy, Cambridge CB2 1SJ, UK
| | - Hamidu Seki
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - Catherine E. Waite
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD 4556, Australia
| | - Pantaleo K. T. Munishi
- National Carbon Monitoring Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Herman Lyatuu
- Reforest Africa, PO Box 5, Mang'ula, Kilombero District, Tanzania
| | | | - Marion Pfeifer
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Andrew R. Marshall
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York YO10 5NG, UK
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD 4556, Australia
- Reforest Africa, PO Box 5, Mang'ula, Kilombero District, Tanzania
- Flamingo Land Ltd, Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire YO17 6UX, UK
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Nerlekar AN, Chorghe AR, Dalavi JV, Kusom RK, Karuppusamy S, Kamath V, Pokar R, Rengaian G, Sardesai MM, Kambale SS. Exponential rise in the discovery of endemic plants underscores the need to conserve the Indian savannas. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashish N. Nerlekar
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA
- IUCN Species Survival Commission‐Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group India
| | - Alok R. Chorghe
- Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History Sawai Madhopur Rajasthan India
| | - Jagdish V. Dalavi
- Angiosperm Taxonomy Laboratory Department of Botany Shivaji University Kolhapur Maharashtra India
| | | | - Subbiah Karuppusamy
- IUCN Species Survival Commission‐Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group India
- Department of Botany The Madura College (Autonomous) Madurai Tamil Nadu India
| | - Vignesh Kamath
- Gubbi Labs LLP Gubbi Karnataka India
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP‐WCMC) Cambridge UK
| | - Ritesh Pokar
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Vadodara Gujarat India
| | - Ganesan Rengaian
- IUCN Species Survival Commission‐Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group India
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) Royal Enclave Sriramapura Bengaluru Karnataka India
| | - Milind M. Sardesai
- IUCN Species Survival Commission‐Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group India
- Department of Botany Savitribai Phule Pune University Pune Maharashtra India
| | - Sharad S. Kambale
- IUCN Species Survival Commission‐Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group India
- Department of Botany MVP Samaj's Arts, Commerce & Science College Tryambakeshwar Maharashtra India
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Diaz-Toribio MH, Putz FE. Underground carbohydrate stores and storage organs in fire-maintained longleaf pine savannas in Florida, USA. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:432-442. [PMID: 33686644 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Many perennial herbaceous plants develop underground storage organs (USOs) that store carbohydrates, water, and minerals. The resprouting ability of plants is influenced by the availability of these materials and by the type of underground organ and number of viable buds. In this study, we illustrate the diversity of longleaf pine savanna species and their nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) pools and concentrations. We also determined whether NSC concentrations by USO are good predictors of NSC pools in species with different types of underground structures. METHODS We excavated in their entirety 1-4 individuals of each of 100 ground-layer pine savanna species, classified their USO types, and measured their NSC concentrations and NSC pools. RESULTS The NSC concentrations in underground organs varied widely among the 100 species sampled. Surprisingly, the fibrous roots of Pityopsis graminifolia stored higher concentrations of NSCs than many species with USOs. The relationship between NSC concentrations and NSC pools was strong after controlling for underground biomass. CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed the high diversity of underground organs in pine savannas. It also showed that NSC concentrations in species with USOs reach high levels. Predictions of NSC pool sizes from NSC concentrations are interpretable, when corrections for underground biomass are considered. Research on underground organs would benefit from inclusion of morphological-anatomical analyses and phylogenetic controls to promote use of the data in broad-scale analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francis E Putz
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-8526, USA
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Collins SL, Nippert JB, Blair JM, Briggs JM, Blackmore P, Ratajczak Z. Fire frequency, state change and hysteresis in tallgrass prairie. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:636-647. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott L. Collins
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM87131USA
| | - Jesse B. Nippert
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS66506USA
| | - John M. Blair
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS66506USA
| | - John M. Briggs
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS66506USA
| | - Pamela Blackmore
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS66506USA
| | - Zak Ratajczak
- Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS66506USA
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Johansson MU, Abebe FB, Nemomissa S, Bekele T, Hylander K. Ecosystem restoration in fire-managed savanna woodlands: Effects on biodiversity, local livelihoods and fire intensity. AMBIO 2021; 50:190-202. [PMID: 32451967 PMCID: PMC7708610 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01343-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ethiopia aims to restore 15 million ha degraded forests and woodlands, but effects on the potentially contrasting goals of long-term carbon storage, biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods are unknown. To quantify the effects of grazing exclusion on vegetation and fire behaviour, we established six 30 × 30 m fenced exclosures with grazed controls, in a mesic wooded savanna. Experimental burns were done after 1.5 years. Tree seedlings were few but more common inside fences. Field layer cover and biomass increased inside fences, and grass species increased in numbers and cover. Fire intensity was higher inside fences, killing shrubs and saplings but not mature trees. Interviews confirmed that overgrazing has resulted in "cool fires", causing shrub encroachment. High-intensity fires occurred in the 1980s after a zoonotic disease killed most livestock. Short-term increase in carbon storage through fire and grazing exclusion may lead to loss of pasture, and in the long-term increased wildfire risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ulrika Johansson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Firew Bekele Abebe
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tamrat Bekele
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Silveira FAO, Arruda AJ, Bond W, Durigan G, Fidelis A, Kirkman K, Oliveira RS, Overbeck GE, Sansevero JBB, Siebert F, Siebert SJ, Young TP, Buisson E. Myth‐busting tropical grassy biome restoration. Restor Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando A. O. Silveira
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270‐901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
| | - André J. Arruda
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, CEP 31270‐901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
- School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - William Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Giselda Durigan
- Floresta Estadual de Assis Instituto Florestal do Estado de São Paulo P.O. Box 104, 19802‐970 Assis SP Brazil
| | - Alessandra Fidelis
- Lab of Vegetation Ecology, Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Av. 24A, 1515, 13506‐900 Rio Claro SP Brazil
| | - Kevin Kirkman
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban South Africa
| | - Rafael S. Oliveira
- Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology University of Campinas—UNICAMP Campinas SP Brazil
| | - Gerhard E. Overbeck
- Departamento de Botânica Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, CEP 91501‐970 Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Jerônimo B. B Sansevero
- Departamento de Ciências Ambientais (DCA), Instituto de Florestas (IF) Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro—UFRRJ BR 465, Km 07, CEP 23890‐000 Seropédica RJ Brazil
| | - Frances Siebert
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management North‐West University Potchefstroom 2520 South Africa
| | - Stefan J. Siebert
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management North‐West University Potchefstroom 2520 South Africa
| | - Truman P. Young
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis CA 95616 U.S.A
| | - Elise Buisson
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis CA 95616 U.S.A
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Avignon Université, UMR CNRS IRD Aix Marseille Université, IUT Site Agroparc BP 61207, 84911 Avignon Cedex 09 France
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Abstract
In this paper, we review the potential of biocultural heritage in biodiversity protection and agricultural innovation in sub-Saharan Africa. We begin by defining the concept of biocultural heritage into four interlinked elements that are revealed through integrated landscape analysis. This concerns the transdisciplinary methods whereby biocultural heritage must be explored, and here we emphasise that reconstructing landscape histories and documenting local heritage values needs to be an integral part of the process. Ecosystem memories relate to the structuring of landscape heterogeneity through such activities as agroforestry and fire management. The positive linkages between living practices, biodiversity and soil nutrients examined here are demonstrative of the concept of ecosystem memories. Landscape memories refer to built or enhanced landscapes linked to specific land-use systems and property rights. Place memories signify practices of protection or use related to a specific place. Customary protection of burial sites and/or abandoned settlements, for example, is a common occurrence across Africa with beneficial outcomes for biodiversity and forest protection. Finally, we discuss stewardship and change. Building on local traditions, inclusivity and equity are essential to promoting the continuation and innovation of practices crucial for local sustainability and biodiversity protection, and also offer new avenues for collaboration in landscape management and conservation.
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Nieto‐Quintano P, Mitchard ETA, Odende R, Batsa Mouwembe MA, Rayden T, Ryan CM. The mesic savannas of the Bateke Plateau: carbon stocks and floristic composition. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Nieto‐Quintano
- School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Crew Building Edinburgh EH9 3FF UK
| | | | - Roland Odende
- Laboratoire de botanique et d’écologie Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Université Marien Ngouabi BP 69 Brazzaville Congo
| | - Marcelle A. Batsa Mouwembe
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et de Foresterie Université Marien Ngouabi BP 69 Brazzaville Congo
| | - Tim Rayden
- Wildlife Conservation Society 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx New York USA
| | - Casey M. Ryan
- School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Crew Building Edinburgh EH9 3FF UK
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Buisson E, Le Stradic S, Silveira FAO, Durigan G, Overbeck GE, Fidelis A, Fernandes GW, Bond WJ, Hermann JM, Mahy G, Alvarado ST, Zaloumis NP, Veldman JW. Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:590-609. [PMID: 30251329 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Despite growing recognition of the conservation values of grassy biomes, our understanding of how to maintain and restore biodiverse tropical grasslands (including savannas and open-canopy grassy woodlands) remains limited. To incorporate grasslands into large-scale restoration efforts, we synthesised existing ecological knowledge of tropical grassland resilience and approaches to plant community restoration. Tropical grassland plant communities are resilient to, and often dependent on, the endogenous disturbances with which they evolved - frequent fires and native megafaunal herbivory. In stark contrast, tropical grasslands are extremely vulnerable to human-caused exogenous disturbances, particularly those that alter soils and destroy belowground biomass (e.g. tillage agriculture, surface mining); tropical grassland restoration after severe soil disturbances is expensive and rarely achieves management targets. Where grasslands have been degraded by altered disturbance regimes (e.g. fire exclusion), exotic plant invasions, or afforestation, restoration efforts can recreate vegetation structure (i.e. historical tree density and herbaceous ground cover), but species-diverse plant communities, including endemic species, are slow to recover. Complicating plant-community restoration efforts, many tropical grassland species, particularly those that invest in underground storage organs, are difficult to propagate and re-establish. To guide restoration decisions, we draw on the old-growth grassland concept, the novel ecosystem concept, and theory regarding tree cover along resource gradients in savannas to propose a conceptual framework that classifies tropical grasslands into three broad ecosystem states. These states are: (1) old-growth grasslands (i.e. ancient, biodiverse grassy ecosystems), where management should focus on the maintenance of disturbance regimes; (2) hybrid grasslands, where restoration should emphasise a return towards the old-growth state; and (3) novel ecosystems, where the magnitude of environmental change (i.e. a shift to an alternative ecosystem state) or the socioecological context preclude a return to historical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Buisson
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, CNRS, IRD, Aix Marseille Université, Agroparc BP61207, Avignon 84911 cedex 9, France
| | - Soizig Le Stradic
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Biodiversity and Landscape unit, University of Liege, Gembloux 5030, Belgium.,Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Lab of Vegetation Ecology, Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Fernando A O Silveira
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG 30161-901, Brazil
| | - Giselda Durigan
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Hidrologia Florestal, Floresta Estadual de Assis, Instituto Florestal, PO box 104, Assis, SP 19802-970, Brazil
| | - Gerhard E Overbeck
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Fidelis
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Lab of Vegetation Ecology, Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - G Wilson Fernandes
- Ecologia Evolutiva e Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG 30161-901, Brazil
| | - William J Bond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town and South African Environmental Observation Network, NRF, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Julia-Maria Hermann
- Restoration Ecology, Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München - TUM, Freising, Germany
| | - Gregory Mahy
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Biodiversity and Landscape unit, University of Liege, Gembloux 5030, Belgium
| | - Swanni T Alvarado
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Geografia, Ecosystem Dynamics Observatory, Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Nicholas P Zaloumis
- Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, P/Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Joseph W Veldman
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2138, U.S.A
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13
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Forest extent and deforestation in tropical Africa since 1900. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 2:26-33. [PMID: 29230024 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0406-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Accurate estimates of historical forest extent and associated deforestation rates are crucial for quantifying tropical carbon cycles and formulating conservation policy. In Africa, data-driven estimates of historical closed-canopy forest extent and deforestation at the continental scale are lacking, and existing modelled estimates diverge substantially. Here, we synthesize available palaeo-proxies and historical maps to reconstruct forest extent in tropical Africa around 1900, when European colonization accelerated markedly, and compare these historical estimates with modern forest extent to estimate deforestation. We find that forests were less extensive in 1900 than bioclimatic models predict. Resultantly, across tropical Africa, ~ 21.7% of forests have been deforested, yielding substantially slower deforestation than previous estimates (35-55%). However, deforestation was heterogeneous: West and East African forests have undergone almost complete decline (~ 83.3 and 93.0%, respectively), while Central African forests have expanded at the expense of savannahs (~ 1.4% net forest expansion, with ~ 135,270 km2 of savannahs encroached). These results suggest that climate alone does not determine savannah and forest distributions and that many savannahs hitherto considered to be degraded forests are instead relatively old. These data-driven reconstructions of historical biome distributions will inform tropical carbon cycle estimates, carbon mitigation initiatives and conservation planning in both forest and savannah systems.
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14
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Lehmann CER, Parr CL. Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2016.0329. [PMID: 27502385 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical grassy biomes (TGBs) are changing rapidly the world over through a coalescence of high rates of land-use change, global change and altered disturbance regimes that maintain the ecosystem structure and function of these biomes. Our theme issue brings together the latest research examining the characterization, complex ecology, drivers of change, and human use and ecosystem services of TGBs. Recent advances in ecology and evolution have facilitated a new perspective on these biomes. However, there continues to be controversies over their classification and state dynamics that demonstrate critical data and knowledge gaps in our quantitative understanding of these geographically dispersed regions. We highlight an urgent need to improve ecological understanding in order to effectively predict the sensitivity and resilience of TGBs under future scenarios of global change. With human reliance on TGBs increasing and their propensity for change, ecological and evolutionary understanding of these biomes is central to the dual goals of sustaining their ecological integrity and the diverse services these landscapes provide to millions of people.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine L Parr
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
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Scott AC, Chaloner WG, Belcher CM, Roos CI. The interaction of fire and mankind: Introduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0162. [PMID: 27216519 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fire has been an important part of the Earth system for over 350 Myr. Humans evolved in this fiery world and are the only animals to have used and controlled fire. The interaction of mankind with fire is a complex one, with both positive and negative aspects. Humans have long used fire for heating, cooking, landscape management and agriculture, as well as for pyrotechnologies and in industrial processes over more recent centuries. Many landscapes need fire but population expansion into wildland areas creates a tension between different interest groups. Extinguishing wildfires may not always be the correct solution. A combination of factors, including the problem of invasive plants, landscape change, climate change, population growth, human health, economic, social and cultural attitudes that may be transnational make a re-evaluation of fire and mankind necessary. The Royal Society meeting on Fire and mankind was held to address these issues and the results of these deliberations are published in this volume.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 OEX, UK
| | - William G Chaloner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 OEX, UK
| | - Claire M Belcher
- wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0336, USA
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Doerr SH, Santín C. Global trends in wildfire and its impacts: perceptions versus realities in a changing world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0345. [PMID: 27216515 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildfire has been an important process affecting the Earth's surface and atmosphere for over 350 million years and human societies have coexisted with fire since their emergence. Yet many consider wildfire as an accelerating problem, with widely held perceptions both in the media and scientific papers of increasing fire occurrence, severity and resulting losses. However, important exceptions aside, the quantitative evidence available does not support these perceived overall trends. Instead, global area burned appears to have overall declined over past decades, and there is increasing evidence that there is less fire in the global landscape today than centuries ago. Regarding fire severity, limited data are available. For the western USA, they indicate little change overall, and also that area burned at high severity has overall declined compared to pre-European settlement. Direct fatalities from fire and economic losses also show no clear trends over the past three decades. Trends in indirect impacts, such as health problems from smoke or disruption to social functioning, remain insufficiently quantified to be examined. Global predictions for increased fire under a warming climate highlight the already urgent need for a more sustainable coexistence with fire. The data evaluation presented here aims to contribute to this by reducing misconceptions and facilitating a more informed understanding of the realities of global fire.This article is part of themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan H Doerr
- Geography Department, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA28PP, UK
| | - Cristina Santín
- Geography Department, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA28PP, UK
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17
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Gowlett JAJ. The discovery of fire by humans: a long and convoluted process. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0164. [PMID: 27216521 PMCID: PMC4874402 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Numbers of animal species react to the natural phenomenon of fire, but only humans have learnt to control it and to make it at will. Natural fires caused overwhelmingly by lightning are highly evident on many landscapes. Birds such as hawks, and some other predators, are alert to opportunities to catch animals including invertebrates disturbed by such fires and similar benefits are likely to underlie the first human involvements with fires. Early hominins would undoubtedly have been aware of such fires, as are savanna chimpanzees in the present. Rather than as an event, the discovery of fire use may be seen as a set of processes happening over the long term. Eventually, fire became embedded in human behaviour, so that it is involved in almost all advanced technologies. Fire has also influenced human biology, assisting in providing the high-quality diet which has fuelled the increase in brain size through the Pleistocene. Direct evidence of early fire in archaeology remains rare, but from 1.5 Ma onward surprising numbers of sites preserve some evidence of burnt material. By the Middle Pleistocene, recognizable hearths demonstrate a social and economic focus on many sites. The evidence of archaeological sites has to be evaluated against postulates of biological models such as the ‘cooking hypothesis' or the ‘social brain’, and questions of social cooperation and the origins of language. Although much remains to be worked out, it is plain that fire control has had a major impact in the course of human evolution. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The interaction of fire and mankind’.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A J Gowlett
- Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, School of Histories, Language and Cultures, University of Liverpool, 12-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool L69 7WZ, UK
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18
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Santín C, Doerr SH. Fire effects on soils: the human dimension. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0171. [PMID: 27216528 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Soils are among the most valuable non-renewable resources on the Earth. They support natural vegetation and human agro-ecosystems, represent the largest terrestrial organic carbon stock, and act as stores and filters for water. Mankind has impacted on soils from its early days in many different ways, with burning being the first human perturbation at landscape scales. Fire has long been used as a tool to fertilize soils and control plant growth, but it can also substantially change vegetation, enhance soil erosion and even cause desertification of previously productive areas. Indeed fire is now regarded by some as the seventh soil-forming factor. Here we explore the effects of fire on soils as influenced by human interference. Human-induced fires have shaped our landscape for thousands of years and they are currently the most common fires in many parts of the world. We first give an overview of fire effect on soils and then focus specifically on (i) how traditional land-use practices involving fire, such as slash-and-burn or vegetation clearing, have affected and still are affecting soils; (ii) the effects of more modern uses of fire, such as fuel reduction or ecological burns, on soils; and (iii) the ongoing and potential future effects on soils of the complex interactions between human-induced land cover changes, climate warming and fire dynamics.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Santín
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Stefan H Doerr
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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Roos CI, Scott AC, Belcher CM, Chaloner WG, Aylen J, Bird RB, Coughlan MR, Johnson BR, Johnston FH, McMorrow J, Steelman T. Living on a flammable planet: interdisciplinary, cross-scalar and varied cultural lessons, prospects and challenges. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0469. [PMID: 27216517 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Living with fire is a challenge for human communities because they are influenced by socio-economic, political, ecological and climatic processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Over the course of 2 days, the authors discussed how communities could live with fire challenges at local, national and transnational scales. Exploiting our diverse, international and interdisciplinary expertise, we outline generalizable properties of fire-adaptive communities in varied settings where cultural knowledge of fire is rich and diverse. At the national scale, we discussed policy and management challenges for countries that have diminishing fire knowledge, but for whom global climate change will bring new fire problems. Finally, we assessed major fire challenges that transcend national political boundaries, including the health burden of smoke plumes and the climate consequences of wildfires. It is clear that to best address the broad range of fire problems, a holistic wildfire scholarship must develop common agreement in working terms and build across disciplines. We must also communicate our understanding of fire and its importance to the media, politicians and the general public.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
| | - Andrew C Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Claire M Belcher
- wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - William G Chaloner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Jonathan Aylen
- Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Rebecca Bliege Bird
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Michael R Coughlan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Bart R Johnson
- Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97401, USA
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Julia McMorrow
- School of Environment, Education, and Development, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Toddi Steelman
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5C8
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Adie H, Kotze DJ, Lawes MJ. Small fire refugia in the grassy matrix and the persistence of Afrotemperate forest in the Drakensberg mountains. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6549. [PMID: 28747738 PMCID: PMC5529369 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06747-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Afrotemperate forests situated in the Drakensberg mountains of South Africa are characteristically small (1–10 s ha) and widely dispersed in a vast fire-prone grassland. Compared with lowland forests, they are typically species poor with low levels of endemism and species turnover, patterns that are to date unexplained. Here we show that the richness, composition and functional traits of tree species distributed on extremely small (10–100 s m2) rocky fire-refugia situated in grassland are indistinguishable from that in forest. Afrotemperate forest tree species in the Drakensberg are widely dispersed and conform to the habitat generalist strategy. Most forest trees are bird dispersed; wind dispersal is rare and is associated only with species that resprout in response to fire. We present the ‘matrix refuge hypothesis’, which proposes that fire and extreme conditions associated with exposed rocky outcrops have filtered the Afrotemperate forest tree composition resulting in convergence in functional traits essential for trees to arrive, establish and persist on fire refugia in the grassland matrix. Most Afrotemperate forest tree diversity in the Drakensberg thus resides in the matrix where it may function as a recolonisation reservoir during climatic bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hylton Adie
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa.
| | - D Johan Kotze
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, FIN-15140, Lahti, Finland
| | - Michael J Lawes
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
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Scrubbing Up: Multi-Scale Investigation of Woody Encroachment in a Southern African Savannah. REMOTE SENSING 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/rs9050419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Tree cover in Central Africa: determinants and sensitivity under contrasted scenarios of global change. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41393. [PMID: 28134259 PMCID: PMC5278362 DOI: 10.1038/srep41393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree cover is a key variable for ecosystem functioning, and is widely used to study tropical ecosystems. But its determinants and their relative importance are still a matter of debate, especially because most regional and global analyses have not considered the influence of agricultural practices. More information is urgently needed regarding how human practices influence vegetation structure. Here we focused in Central Africa, a region still subjected to traditional agricultural practices with a clear vegetation gradient. Using remote sensing data and global databases, we calibrated a Random Forest model to correlatively link tree cover with climatic, edaphic, fire and agricultural practices data. We showed that annual rainfall and accumulated water deficit were the main drivers of the distribution of tree cover and vegetation classes (defined by the modes of tree cover density), but agricultural practices, especially pastoralism, were also important in determining tree cover. We simulated future tree cover with our model using different scenarios of climate and land-use (agriculture and population) changes. Our simulations suggest that tree cover may respond differently regarding the type of scenarios, but land-use change was an important driver of vegetation change even able to counterbalance the effect of climate change in Central Africa.
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