This study focus on land use-land cover changes relation to the multidimensional characteristics of spatial and temporal patterns of land dynamics and social practices. The objectives are to characterize the dynamics of land-use and land-cover changes from 1992 to 2015, and to identify the drivers of deforestation and land degradation. Nine (09) types of classes were identified: humid vegetation (HV), savanna/wooded savanna (WS), savanna/shrub savanna (SSS), shrub savanna (SS), mangrove (MA), grass savanna (GS), cropland (CP), water (WA), and bare soil (BS). The process of change was analysed within a 5614.6 ha which includes the Patako protected area. The results have shown significant changes in land use-land cover for more than two decades (1992 to 2015). A high variability of land cover transfer was recorded between periods and class categories. At least, 55% of the HV changed to WS that was manifested by a loss of 16% during the first decade. The most important decline in area was recorded annually within the HV (4.8%), and the WS (2.6%), while the SSS experienced a substantial annual increase of 0.5%. The appearance of the SS (10.3%), during the last fifteen years, is a witness to degradation process as a result of anthropogenic pressure mainly for subsistence raisons. This pressure resulted to a conversion of small forested land to agricultural land on the boundary of the protected area. Tree cover represented 99.4% of the entire forest area in 1992, 97.4% in 2010, and slightly more (+1.2%) in 2015. According to this evolution, the annual rate of deforestation was estimated to 0.09% with an average of 0.11±0.08% for the three defined periods. The drivers leading to changes in land use-land cover stresses the complexity that is related to sustainable management of protected areas. Urgent action is necessary to reduce loss of biodiversity due to deforestation and land degradation. For this purpose, a particular attention must be paid to the implementation of the Patako management plan under a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project.
Tag: deforestation
Perceptions of Climate Variability and Pest-Disease Incidence on Crops and Adaptive Forest-Agricultural Practices
The article examines the influence of local perceptions of climate variability and pest–disease incidence on crops and its management and on adaptive forest–agricultural practices. The study was conducted in the humid forest of Southern Cameroon along a resource use intensification and population gradient using a semi-structured questionnaire administrated to farmers. The results showed that the level of severity of crops–pests incidence was perceived as high, with an increase over the past 15 years. A high incidence of pests–diseases was perceived on yield/income of cocoa, cassava, and groundnuts. The results indicated that each crop has its management practices of pests–diseases both at the crop and land use level. The farmers respond positively to their perception of climate variability by anticipating cropping practices, by harvesting earlier or later, and by adapting strategies of pests–diseases with crops and land use practices that affect the sustainability of forest–agriculture.
The political economy of Readiness for REDD+
Conservation agriculture (CA) is promoted extensively to increase the productivity and environmental sustainability of maize production systems across sub-Saharan Africa and is often listed as a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practice. However, the impacts of CA on food security, resilience/adaptive capacity and climate change mitigation are location-dependent and it is unknown whether CA can simultaneously address CSA’s multiple objectives. Here we evaluate four variations of CA: reduced tillage plus mulch (mulch), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous cover crop (Lablab), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous trees (CAWT), and reduced tillage plus mulch and nitrogen fertilizer (CA + F)-for their effect on CSA-relevant outcomes in highland Tanzania maize production. By comparison to conventional practice in the region, intensification of maize production by Lablab, CAWT, and CA + F significantly increases yields by 40, 89 and 77 %, respectively. Likewise, rainfall use efficiency was highest in these three treatments and significantly greater than conventional practices in 7 of 12 comparisons. Seasonal and annual greenhouse gas fluxes were similar across all treatments; however, yield-scaled global warming potential (Mg CO2 eq Mg grain-1) was lower in CAWT (2.1-3.1) and CA + F (1.9-2.3) than conventional practice (1.9-8.3), averaging 62 and 68 % of the emission intensity of conventional practice, respectively. The findings demonstrate that CA can deliver benefits consistent with the objectives of CSA for farmers in this region, particularly when soil nitrogen limitation is alleviated, providing other constraints to adoption are removed.
Constraints and opportunities for tree diversity management along the forest transition curve to achieve multifunctional agriculture
On-farm tree diversity patterns result from a social-ecological process shaped by different actors. Farmer preferences, tree-site matching, seed dispersal, tree domestication and delivery via nurseries all play important roles in forming these patterns. As part of a wider interest in tree cover transition curves that link agroforestation stages of landscapes to a preceding deforestation process, we here focus on ‘tree diversity transition curves’ i. as a conceptual framework to understand current processes and how shifts in drivers affect tree diversity and ii. to help identify constraints and opportunities for interventions. We provide some examples of current research efforts and make suggestions for databases and analyzes that are required to improve our understanding of tree diversity transitions. We explore drivers, consequences and entry points for tree diversity management to achieve multifunctional agriculture.
The socio-economic potential of under-utilized species to small holder farmers: The case of Khat (Catha edulis) in Ethiopia
“Agriculture is an important part of Ethiopia’s economy constituting a significant proportion of it’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and total export earnings. The method of agricultural production inEthiopia has led to increased deforestation and degradation. In order to reverse the trend, governmentof Ethiopia together with its development partners are in search of strategies to address the situation.Among others, Agroforestry has been considered as a potential strategy that can reduce the increasingdeforestation and degradation; whilst at the same time can enhance food production and increased theincome of small holder farmers. Khat (Catha edulis), an indigenous shrub species offers the potential tobe intercropped with other food crops in an Despite its potential, limited attention has been given to itin terms of assessing its potential and profitability. The aim of this article is to assess thecompetitiveness of khat production and commercialization as a complementary source of income forfarmers in the West Shewa and East Wollega zones in Ethiopia. Three focus group discussions (FGD)with khat producers were conducted in 3 villages to obtain data for the analysis. This wassupplemented with key informant interviews with traders in order to obtain further information about itsproduction and marketing. Porters’ five forces was adopted as the conceptual framework for analysis.The results indicate that demand for khat exceeds its current supply and farmers have power todetermine the price. However, there is high level of competition among traders in sourcing from thefarmers leading to price competition among traders. The agro ecological suitability for khat productionin the area indicates that more farmers can produce it if the awareness of its market potential is created.The study concludes that khat can be promoted as a profitable crop for agroforestry practices inEthiopia.
Factors affecting soil loss at plot scale and sediment yield at catchment scale in a tropical volcanic agroforestry landscape
Tropical deforestation and land use change is often perceived as the major cause of soil loss by water erosion and of sediment load in rivers that has a negative impact on the functioning of hydropower storage reservoirs. The Sumberjaya area in Sumatra, Indonesia is representative for conflicts and evictions arising from this perception. The purpose of this study as part of a Negotiation Support System approach was to assess sediment yield both at plot and catchment scale and to relate it to a variety of possible clarifying factors i.e. land use, geology, soil and topography. Sediment yield at catchment scale per unit area, was found to be 3–10 times higher than soil loss measured in erosion plots. A stepwise regression showed that the dominant factors explaining sediment yield differences at catchment scale in this volcanic landscape were a particular lithology (Old Andesites) and slope angle followed by the silt fraction of the top soil. In lithologically sensitive areas soil loss at the plot scale under monoculture coffee gardens decreases over time from on average 7–11 Mg ha 1 yr 1 to 4–6 Mg ha 1 yr 1, mainly because of the development of surface litter layers as filters and top soil compaction in the areas without litter, but remains higher than under shade coffee systems or forest. The runoff coefficient under monoculture coffee remains on average significantly higher (10–15%) than under forest (4%) or under shade coffee systems (4–7%). In lithologically stable areas soil loss remained below 1.8 Mg ha 1 yr 1 and the runoff coefficient below 2.5% under all land use types, even bare soil plots or monoculture coffee gardens. Less than 20% of the catchment area produces almost 60% of the sediment yield. The reduction of negative off-site effects on e.g. the life time of a storage reservoir would benefit greatly from an improved assessment of the lithologies in volcanic landscapes and the consideration of potential sediment source and sink areas. In lithologically sensitive areas, a shift from sun to shade coffee systems may result in reducing surface runoff and soil loss, although water erosion at the plot scale is not the main contributor to sediment yield at the catchment scale. The quantification of land use effects on dominant erosive processes such as river bank and river bed erosion, landslides and the concentrated flow erosion on footpaths and roads can contribute to more targeted efforts and relevant incentives to reduce (or live with) sediment load of the rivers.
Should REDD+ fund ‘sustainable intensification’ as a means of reducing tropical deforestation?
Over the last 50 years, the global population has doubled. Despite this, food production has more than kept pace, resulting in a 24% increase in per capita world food production and a 40% reduction in food prices in real terms. While some progress has been made towards lowering the proportion of people suffering from chronic hunger from 20 to 16%, the absolute number of chronically hungry has actually increased to more than 900 million. Until recently, conventional wisdom was that while global food production was sufficient to meet demand, the main problem was one of distribution. This conclusion was reassessed towards the end of the 2000s, when the effect of changing diets in developing nations was taken into account, which indicated that food production will need to increase 70% to meet demand in 2050. A recent analysis relating calorie and protein consumption to GDP puts this even higher at 100–110%. These projections have prompted a number of high-profile reports analyzing the global food production system, generally concluding that gains are likely to come from a mix of new applications of existing knowledge, new technologies, and development and implementation of appropriate economic and social policies, and sustainable intensification on existing crop area.
Agricultural intensification, deforestation and the environment: assessing tradeoffs in Sumatra, Indonesia
The conditions necessary for increased productivity of agroforestry and other land uses to jointly reduce poverty and deforestation are not well understood. The global Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn (ASB) Programme was founded to provide scientific insights and workable innovations for the simultaneous pursuit of precisely these two goals: poverty reduction and rain forest conservation in the tropics. This chapter summarizes results from study sites on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, which were chosen to represent the lowland humid tropical forest zone in Asia for the global ASB project.
Carbon neutral? No change in mineral soil carbon stock under oil palm plantations derived from forest or non-forest in Indonesia
Sustainability criteria for palm oil production guide new planting toward non-forest land cover on mineral soil, avoiding carbon debts caused by forest and peat conversion. Effects on soil carbon stock (soil Cstock) of land use change trajectories from forest and non-forest to oil palm on mineral soils include initial decline and subsequent recovery, however modeling efforts and life-cycle accounting are constrained by lack of comprehensive data sets; only few case studies underpin current debate. We analyzed soil Cstock (Mg ha1), soil bulk density (BD, g cm3) and soil organic carbon concentration (Corg, %) from 155 plots in 20 oil palm plantations across the major production areas of Indonesia, identifying trends during a production cycle on 6 plantations with sufficient spread in plot age. Plots were sampled in four management zones: weeded circle (WC), interrow (IR), frond stacks (FS), and harvest paths (HP); three depth intervals 0–5, 5–15 and 15–30 cm were sampled in each zone. Compared to the initial condition, increases in Corg (16.2%) and reduction in BD (8.9%) in the FS zone, was compensated by decrease in Corg (21.4%) and increase in BD (6.6%) in the HP zone, with intermediate results elsewhere. For a weighted average of the four management zones and after correction for equal mineral soil basis, the net temporal trend in soil Cstock in the top 30 cm of soil across all data was not significantly different from zero in both forest- and non-forest-derived oil palm plantations. Individual plantations experienced net decline, net increase or U-shaped trajectories. The 2% difference in mean soil Cstock in forest and non-forest derived oil palm plantations was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Unless soil management changes strongly from current practice, it is appropriate for C footprint calculations to assume soil Cstock neutrality on mineral soils used for oil palm cultivation.
Forest governance in DRC: an analysis from actors’ participation in REDD+ policy development
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has implemented Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), a process that requires inclusive decision making and accountability. Our research analyses the participation of policy actors in DRC by asking: (1) Who is involved in national REDD+ policy making and what is their interest in participating in core policy events? (2) What level of participation do the different political actors have in core policy events? (3) To what extent do the outcomes, of REDD+ policy events incorporate different preferences of policy actors? We found that although actors’ interest in REDD+ policy events have increased over time, their concerns have rarely been taken into account in decision-making processes. The presence of local civil society and indigenous group organizations is weak while international organizations play a major role in the REDD+ arena. REDD+ is treated as a project rather than being embedded in national politics.