Download or read book Adaptive Diversification and Anthropogenic Impacts on African Rainforest Biodiversity written by Adam Howard Freedman and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Adaptive Diversification and Anthropogenic Impacts on African Rainforest Biodiversity written by Adam Howard Freedman and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tropical Rainforest Responses to Climatic Change written by Mark B. Bush and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of this book is to provide a current overview of the impacts of climate change on tropical forests, to investigate past, present, and future climatic influences on the ecosystems with the highest biodiversity on the planet.Tropical Rainforest Responses to Climatic Change will be the first book to examine how tropical rain forest ecology is altered by climate change, rather than simply seeing how plant communities were altered. Shifting the emphasis onto ecological processes e.g. how diversity is structured by climate and the subsequent impact on tropical forest ecology, provides the reader with a more comprehensive coverage. A major theme of this book that emerges progressively is the interaction between humans, climate and forest ecology. While numerous books have appeared dealing with forest fragmentation and conservation, none have explicitly explored the long term occupation of tropical systems, the influence of fire and the future climatic effects of deforestation, coupled with anthropogenic emissions. Incorporating modelling of past and future systems paves the way for a discussion of conservation from a climatic perspective, rather than the usual plea to stop logging.
Download or read book Tropical Rainforest Responses to Climatic Change written by Mark Bush and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-08-17 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This updated and expanded second edition of a much lauded work provides a current overview of the impacts of climate change on tropical forests. The authors also investigate past, present and future climatic influences on the ecosystems with the highest biodiversity on the planet. Tropical Rainforest Responses to Climatic Change, Second Edition, looks at how tropical rain forest ecology is altered by climate change, rather than simply seeing how plant communities were altered. Shifting the emphasis on to ecological processes, e.g. how diversity is structured by climate and the subsequent impact on tropical forest ecology, provides the reader with a more comprehensive coverage. A major theme of the book is the interaction between humans, climate and forest ecology. The authors, all foremost experts in their fields, explore the long term occupation of tropical systems, the influence of fire and the future climatic effects of deforestation, together with anthropogenic emissions. Incorporating modelling of past and future systems paves the way for a discussion of conservation from a climatic perspective, rather than the usual plea to stop logging. This second edition provides an updated text in this rapidly evolving field. The existing chapters are revised and updated and two entirely new chapters deal with Central America and the effect of fire on wet forest systems. In the first new chapter, the paleoclimate and ecological record from Central America (Lozano, Correa, Bush) is discussed, while the other deals with the impact of fire on tropical ecosystems. It is hoped that Jonathon Overpeck, who has been centrally involved in the 2007 and 2010 IPCC reports, will provide a Foreword to the book.
Download or read book Footprints in the Jungle written by Ian A. Bowles and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the technical, environmental, social and legal issues surrounding extraction in tropical forests, and argues for better conservation practices and selective usage.
Download or read book Biodiversity and ecology of Afromontane rainforests with wild Coffea arabica L populations in Ethiopia written by Feyera Senbeta Wakjira and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2006-03-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sustainable Utilization and Conservation of Africa s Biological Resources and Environment written by Sylvester Chibueze Izah and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-04-17 with total page 691 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited book highlights the potential and actual contributions of the sustainable management and utilization of indigenous biological resources and environment for the development of Africa. The book centers on documenting current trends and issues in the field of resource use and conservation with the view of emphasizing their benefits to the pursuit of development within the region. By documenting the array of natural resources and environment in Africa, this book addresses the topical knowledge and understanding gaps that characterize conservation (rationale for sustainable resource exploration), utilization patterns, and conservation challenges including policy status, environmental threats, impacts of tourism, reduction in food resources, etc., and their effects on the sustainable development of Africa. Through an integrated approach, the book focuses on below and above-ground biological resources and the diverse scales of environment that characterize Africa. This collection of works is very helpful for natural and social scientists, policymakers, strategists, researchers, government and non-government organizations, biodiversity and environmental managers, climate change scientists, practitioners, activists, conservationists, academics, ecologists, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and others who want to learn about and understand the best way to use and protect Africa's resources and heritage sustainably.
Download or read book Tropical Rainforests and Agroforests under Global Change written by Teja Tscharntke and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-02-04 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: not only for land use systems that depend on the regular supply of rain or irrigation water but also for the future development of natural rainforests as drought stress has been shown to a?ect tree growth and species composition in old-growth forests (Wright 1991, Walsh and Newbery 1999, Engelbrecht et al. 2007). A drought experiment conducted in a cacao agroforestry plantation showed that this plantation was surprisingly resilient to an induced drought of more than a year (Schwendenmann et al. 2009). However, droughts can have a strong impact on household incomes from agriculture, they strongly a?ect the vulnerability to poverty and thus have to be analyzed as important exogenous shocks to households, forcing them to adjust their behaviour and develop strategies to cope with these problems. The stability of rainforest margins is a critical factor in the protection of tropical rainforests (Tscharntke et al. 2007). At present, however, rainf- est margins in many parts of the tropics are far from stable, both in soc- economic and in ecological terms. For example, protected areas may attract, rather than repel, human settlement, which may be due to international donor investment in national conservation programs (Wittemeyer et al. 2008). An alternative hypothesis is that protected areas might be compromised if leakage takes place, that is, if impacts that would take place inside the restricted area are displaced to a nearby, undisturbed area (Ewers and Rodrigues 2008).
Download or read book Breakfast Of Biodiversity written by John Vandermeer and published by Food First Books. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The continuing devastation of the world’s tropical rain forest affects us all—spurring climate change, decimating biodiversity, and wrecking our environment’s resiliency. Millions of worried people around the world want to do whatever it takes to save the forest that is left. But halting rain forest destruction means understanding what is driving it. In Breakfast of Biodiversity, John Vandermeer and Ivette Perfecto insightfully describe the ways in which such disparate factors as the international banking system, modern agricultural techniques, rain forest ecology, and the struggles of the poor interact to bring down the forest. They weave an alternative vision in which democracy, sustainable agriculture, and land security for the poor are at the center of the movement to save the tropical environment.
Download or read book Plant Diversity in a Central African Rain Forest written by Gildas Peguy Tchouto Mbatchou and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Montane rainforest with wild Coffea arabica in Bonga region SW Ethiopia plant diversity wild coffee management and implications for conservation written by and published by Cuvillier Verlag. This book was released on 2006-10-30 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The montane rainforests of Ethiopia are the center of origin and genetic diversity of Coffea arabica L. (Rubiaceae). They form part of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot due to the high threat of deforestation. Concepts for conservation of these forests and their wild coffee populations are urgently needed. For the present study, vegetation surveys were carried out in four forest fragments in the Bonga region (southwestern Ethiopia) situated between 1,560 and 2,280 m asl. A total of 309 vascular plant species including 16 endemics were recorded; 36 % of the species occur in all forest fragments, while 43 % are present in one fragment only. Ordination methods reveal that plant species composition is strongly influenced by the altitudinal gradient. The forest fragment Koma, which is located above 1,800 m asl, is characterized by high pterophyte diversity and high abundance of Afromontane endemics or near endemics. Forest below 1,800 m asl has a greater diversity of tree species and pytogeographical elements, and is further divided in a moister type (Mankira forest fragment) and a drier type (Kayakela forest fragment). Many species of the understory are frequent and abundant, so that the representative species number for a forest fragment can be captured with 10 study plots. In contrast, many tree species and epiphytes have low frequency, and the recording of their representative species number in a forest fragment requires 29 study plots. Wild coffee grows throughout the forest until 2,050 m asl except for extremely shaded and humid sites. Growth rates are very low, in particular during the main rainy season from July until October. Most wild coffee populations are utilized by local farmers. Three use types can be differentiated: (1) Unmanaged wild coffee has very low density in the shaded understory of undisturbed forest. Yields (clean coffee) are below 5 kg ha-1 a-1. (2) Forest coffee systems with low management intensity have an undisturbed forest structure, but some undergrowth vegetation is removed systematically. Abundance and size of coffee trees increase, and yields can reach 15 kg ha-1 a-1. (3) In semi-forest coffee systems, management intensity is high and forest structure is disturbed. Most undergrowth vegetation besides coffee is cleared at least once a year and some canopy trees are cut. Removal of competing plants and increased light penetration stimulate wild coffee growth. Yields average 35 kg ha-1 a-1. Low management intensity in forest coffee systems does not modify natural species composition. Abundance and distribution of tree species in unmanaged forest and forest coffee systems are currently governed by natural dynamics, but increasing demand for wood is likely to cause over-exploitation of some highly valued secondary forest and climax tree species. In semi-forest coffee systems, slashing of vegetation and related modification of forest microclimate have a strong impact on species composition and species population structures. Most mature individuals of woody species are coppiced, which favors species that regenerate well vegetatively. Species richness increases due to high numbers of ruderal herbs, climbers and pioneer species adapted to regeneration in disturbed sites. In contrast, the number and abundance of typical forest species that require shade and humidity decline. This is most pronounced regarding tree species. This study makes suggestions for a conservation concept that combines both protection of the original plant diversity of Afromontane forest and profitable use of wild coffee.
Download or read book Plant Diversity in a Central African Rain Forest written by Gildas Peguy Tchouto Mbatchou and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book African Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation written by William Weber and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extending from west Africa to Madagascar, from the vast lowland Congo Basin to the archipelago of forest islands on its eastern rim, the African rain forest is surpassed in size only by the Amazon. This book sheds light on the current efforts to understand and conserve the African rain forest, an area in need of urgent action to save its biological wealth, cultural heritage, and economic potential. Written by conservation scientists and practitioners based in the African rain forest, the book offers a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates many biological and social sciences. Early chapters trace the forces--from paleoecological factors to recent human actions--that have shaped the African forest environment. The next chapters discuss the dominant biological patterns of species ranging from the distinctive elephants, gorillas, and okapi to the less well known birds, butterflies, and amphibians. Other chapters focus on how such different groups as hunter-gatherers, forest farmers, bushmeat hunters, recent immigrants, and commercial foresters have used the forests. Several authors stress the need for tighter links between research and conservation action. The final section draws lessons from the collective experience of those working in an Africa wracked by political strife and economic hardship.
Download or read book The Rainforests of West Africa written by Claude Martin and published by Birkhauser. This book was released on 1991 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nowhere eise in the world did industrialized countries leave such early marks in the rainforest as in West Africa. Past and present developments here are in one way or the other significant for rainforests on other continents as weil. West Africa is a pioneer in both a good and a bad sense. This is reason enough to take a closer Iook at the history of moist tropical West Africa. Until recently, no one really seemed to be interested in the rainforests except for a few specialists. The world's scientific community neglected to study the incalculable riches of tropical forests, to make the public aware of them and their due importance. Although interdisciplinary research has been a popular topic for some decades now, it was not applied to just the most complex habitat on earth. Scientists from all fields studied only that which was easiest to record, seemingly blind to a myriad of details awaiting closer examination. Botanists wentabout establishing their herbariums and paid much too little attention to the vegetation as a whole, or to the significance of useful plants for local populations. Zoologists, too, busied themselves with collecting and describing species. Anthropologists, on the other hand, tended to overlook faunal details: in their ignorance of the animal world, they wrote of tigers and deer in Africa. And finally, foresters saw neither the forest nor the trees for the timber - and even confused rainforests with monocultures of fir trees.
Download or read book Ecology of an African Rain Forest written by Thomas T. Struhsaker and published by . This book was released on 1999-02-01 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A unique book that is likely to become a benchmark for those who wish to save the rain forests through sustainable logging practices. Its uniqueness lies in the author's collection of long-term data (up to 25 years) on both plants and animals in the same site, the Kibale forest in Uganda. . . . Very highly recommended for libraries specializing in ecology, environmental science, forestry, and rain forests."--Choice "A much-needed volume that will be of interest to a wide audience, written by a leader in the field, and one with an international reputation. The current rosy advocacy for 'sustainable development' needs a wake-up call, and this is it. This volume combines some of the hottest topics in conservation science today into a cohesive whole that looks clear-eyed into the face of modern conservation in the tropics and finds it frighteningly lacking in scientific underpinning, rational consideration, and effective implementation."--Truman Young, University of California at Davis Thomas Struhsaker summarizes 20 years of research in the Kibale forest in Uganda, one of the most important centers for the study of tropical rain forests in Africa. Among the longest ongoing projects in rain forest ecology anywhere, Struhsaker's differs from the great majority of logging studies by emphasizing the fauna rather than looking only at the commercially valuable timber species. By providing long-term data on a variety of plants and animals, it offers the first truly in-depth synthesis of the consequences of selective logging in the tropics. The main body of the book demonstrates the adverse effects of logging--as many as 25 years after the event--on community structure and numerous other aspects of forest ecology. Although much has been claimed for the possibilities of sustainable logging in tropical rain forests, few data support these claims. Struhsaker demonstrates that future logging must be done at far lower intensities than is currently practiced if intact ecosystems are to be maintained. He also offers detailed recommendations for harvest plans compatible with the conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity. The long-term data summarized here on the population dynamics of rain forest trees, primates, rodents, duikers, and elephants are unrivaled and will be widely cited, as will the data on seasonality, tree phrenology, gap dynamics, rainfall, and temperature. Struhsaker addresses the underlying causes of tropical deforestation and concludes that although there are numerous proximate factors, the ultimate causes are rapidly increasing human populations and rates of consumption per capita. He draws comparisons with relevant studies elsewhere in the tropics and offers specific recommendations to address the problems. Thomas T. Struhsaker has conducted field research in Africa over a period of 34 years. From 1970 through 1987 he established, developed, and directed the field research station in Kibale, Uganda. He maintains an active role in Kibale today and is a research scientist in the Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy at Duke University. His publications include The Red Colobus Monkey (1975) and more than 80 scientific and popular articles and technical reports on ecology, conservation, and animal behavior.
Download or read book The Guenons Diversity and Adaptation in African Monkeys written by Mary E. Glenn and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-04-11 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has been twelve years since a work relating to the long-tailed African monkeys known as the guenons has been published and fifteen years have passed since the last major scientific symposium was held that was solely dedicated to current research on members of this monkey group living in the wild. Since that time, new guenon species and subspecies have been discovered, previously unstudied guenon species have become the subject of long-term research projects, and knowledge of the more well-known guenon species has greatly increased. This volume presents novel information and keen insight on research previously studied and newly discovered. A wide range of topics related to guenon biology is presented, including evolution, taxonomy, biogeography, reproductive physiology, social and positional behavior, ecology, and conservation. Composed of 26 chapters compiled by 47 authors, many of whom are young investigators in their field, The Guenons: Diversity and Adaptation in African Monkeys provides a valuable resource for researchers and scientists in the fields of anthropology, primatology, zoology, and conservation biology.
Download or read book Human Impacts on Biodiversity in African Coastal Ecosystems written by E. E. Martens and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
