Deciphering African tropical forest dynamics in the Anthropocene: How social and historical sciences can elucidate forest cover change and inform forest management

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Ressource 1Download: Walters 2019 Preprint Forest History Africa.pdf (820.75 [Ko])
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serval:BIB_FF8380BAB22E
Type
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Title
Deciphering African tropical forest dynamics in the Anthropocene: How social and historical sciences can elucidate forest cover change and inform forest management
Journal
Anthropocene
Author(s)
Walters G., Fraser J. Angus, Picard N., Hymas O., Fairhead J.
ISSN
2213-3054
Publication state
Published
Issued date
09/2019
Volume
27
Pages
100214
Language
english
Abstract
Forests bear the historical legacies of human activities over thousands of years, including agriculture, trade, disease and resource extraction. Many of these activities may represent indices of the proposed geological epoch of the Anthropocene. Modifications to soil, topography and vegetation evidence anthropogenic influences. Yet studies of vegetation change throughout the humid tropics tend to occlude these by focussing on forest dynamics, timber, and biodiversity through permanent sample plots or forestry inventory plots. We highlight how history and social science can be combined with ecology to help better understand human signatures in forest dynamics. We (1) critically review ecological methods in the light of the environmental and social history of the Afrotropics; (2) map current plot networks for West and Central Africa in relation to the Human Footprint Index; (3) using two case-studies, demonstrate how history and social science bring new insights and inferences to plot-based studies; all leading to (4) novel forms of interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable forest conservation, management and restoration.
Keywords
Forest ecology, Africa, historical sciences, social sciences, forest management, interdisciplinarity
Create date
31/07/2019 11:28
Last modification date
21/08/2019 6:11
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