Science and Conservation in African Forests

Science and Conservation in African Forests
Author: Richard Wrangham
Publisher:
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2014-05-14
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780511424441

Forests need apes as much as the apes need the forests. They are the gardeners of the forest - keystone species in the ecology of African and Southeast Asian forests, dispersing seeds, creating light gaps and pruning branch-tips whilst feeding. Their habitat comprises two of the planet's three major tropical forest blocks that are essential for global climate regulation. But the economic pressures that are destroying ape habitats are much greater than current available conservation finance. This unique case study from the Kibale national park illustrates how biological research has had diverse consequences for conservation. It examines effects on habitat management, community relations, ecotourism and training. Lessons learned from this project over the last 20 years will inspire researchers and conservationists to work together to promote biodiversity through field projects.

African Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation

African Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation
Author: William Weber
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 620
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780300084337

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.

Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa

Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa
Author: Jon C. Lovett
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-07-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521068987

Eastern African rain forests are remarkable in their high level of endemism. Miocene uplift of the central African plateau separated these montane and coastal forests from the main Guineo-Congolian forest of west and central Africa. Since then, stable Indian Ocean temperatures maintained a region of high rainfall throughout Pleistocene droughts that devastated forest elsewhere on the continent. Relics of the former Pan-African rain forest survived here, the study of which provides a unique insight into tropical evolutionary processes. This book brings together research on the animals, plants and geography of this intriguing residual forest, and highlights the need for effective management practices to conserve its exceptional biodiversity in the face of increasing pressure for land for cultivation.

Myth and Reality in the Rain Forest

Myth and Reality in the Rain Forest
Author: John F. Oates
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 368
Release: 1999
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780520222526

"This book offers a timely, clear-headed, and uniquely important contribution to conservation, one that should be read by all bureaucrats, scientists, and others involved with development projects that supposedly benefit wildlife and wilderness."--George B. Schaller, author of Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe

Conserving Biodiversity in East African Forests

Conserving Biodiversity in East African Forests
Author: W.D. Newmark
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662048728

Tanzania is one of the most biologically diverse nations in the world. Traveling from west to east across Tanzania, one encounters an incredible array of ecosystems and species. Beginning at Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Nyasa that form much of the western boundary of Tanzania, one finds the most diverse and some of the most spectacular concentrations of endemic fish in any of the world's lakes. Moving further inland from the lakes, one meets the woodlands and plains of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara. The assemblages and movements of large mammals in these protected areas are unparalleled worldwide. Traveling yet further to the east, one comes to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Mount Kilimanjaro is of sufficient height to not only contain seven major vegetation zones, but also maintain permanent glaciers. Finally, shortly before arriving at the Indian Ocean, one encounters the Eastern Arc Mountains, a series of isolated and geologically ancient mountains, which due to their height and proximity to the Indian Ocean intercept sufficient precipitation to support, in many areas, moist tropical forest. The Eastern Arc Mountains are among the richest sites biologically in all of Africa and harbor unusually high concentrations of endemic species - species whose geographic distribution are restricted to these mountains. Unfortunately, much of Tanzania's biodiversity is threatened by habitat alteration, destruction, and exploitation. The Eastern Arc forests face some of the most severe threats to any of Tanzania's biologically unique sites.

Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation

Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation
Author: Jaboury Ghazoul
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2010-05-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 019928587X

This is a comprehensive, attractive, and readable introduction to tropical rain forest ecology, biogeography, and management. It tackles the subject at local, regional, and global scales, and is both up-to-date and fully integrated across disciplines.

Amazon Rainforest Research Journal

Amazon Rainforest Research Journal
Author: Natalie Hyde
Publisher: Ecosystems Research Journal
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017-09-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780778734673

Follow the journal entries of researchers on field trips through threatened ecosystems and habitats around the world. Their observations about plant and animal species and the effects of human activity help reveal the health status of each ecosystem. Book jacket.

Colonial Seeds in African Soil

Colonial Seeds in African Soil
Author: Paul Munro
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2020-02-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1789206251

“Empire forestry”—the broadly shared forest management practice that emerged in the West in the nineteenth century—may have originated in Europe, but it would eventually reshape the landscapes of colonies around the world. Melding the approaches of environmental history and political ecology, Colonial Seeds in African Soil unravels the complex ways this dynamic played out in twentieth-century colonial Sierra Leone. While giving careful attention to topics such as forest reservation and exploitation, the volume moves beyond conservation practices and discourses, attending to the overlapping social, economic, and political contexts that have shaped approaches to forest management over time.

Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests

Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests
Author: Bhadouria, Rahul
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2019-09-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1799800164

Tropical dry forests are the most exploited and endangered ecosystems in the world. A combination of climatic and human factors often reduce these forests to patches of dry scrubs or savannas. Because these ecosystems experience a more arduous and less anticipated environment, they are more prone to environmental stress as plant communities are developed. Therefore, urgent research is necessary to understand both the detrimental issues and problem-solving approaches to conserving these important forests. The Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests is a pivotal reference source that combines theory and practice on the current trends and issues in this important ecological subject and discusses future challenges towards conservation strategies of these tropical dry forests. While highlighting topics such as forest management, natural regeneration, and silviculture, this publication examines the anthropogenic impacts on tropical dry forests and the necessity to rebuild their ecosystems. This book is ideally designed for state forest agency professionals, resource managers, non-governmental organization agents, ecologists, botanists, environmentalists, students, and researchers seeking current research on the threats to these forests.