A Social Assessment of Forest Degradation in the “Cacheu Mangroves Natural Park”, Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

Abstract:The Cacheu Mangroves Natural Park (PNTC) was established in the year 2000 with the objective of protecting the coastal forests of Northern Guinea-Bissau, which have been subject to deforestation and are at risk. Concomitantly, the need to find sustainable financial revenues to support forest conservation motivated the development of projects that explore avoidance of deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) as a potential income possibility. The 886,150 ha of forest in the PNTC include a mosaic of different villages where communities with different cultural and socio-economic habits reside. In addition to the uncontrolled expansion of subsistence agriculture with the associated shortening of fallow periods, forests may have also been subject to degradation from selective logging, fuel wood collection, and charcoal production. To contribute to a forest degradation baseline forest uses for household fuel consumption (wood and charcoal) were surveyed using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. The data were collected from a representative sample of circa 200 households within a 2 km buffer of the PNTC. These data are analyzed and the results are discussed according to a scenario of ethnic diversity, OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 3328 i.e., a diversity of approaches relating to forest conservation. Even though the results indicate that fuel wood is the main (and almost sole) source of energy for cooking, they also show that the average daily fuel consumption per capita (1.21 kg) is well below the sub-Saharan average and that fuel is obtained from downed dead wood or dead trees. Therefore, it is concluded that reported forest degradation in PNTC cannot be attributed to fuel wood consumption by local populations.

Changes in Land Cover in Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park, Guinea-Bissau: The Need for a More Sustainable Management

“…The rice cultivation in the hydromorphic mangrove soils ("salty water fields") requires the deforestation of the mangals, and also involves the construction and maintenance of anti-salt dams [26]; as a consequence, not only is there a change in land use due to the shifting from manglars to rice crops, but also an additional degradation of the mangrove forests given the need of wood for the construction and maintenance of the dams. Another reason for the loss of mangroves, as pointed out by Lima da Faria et al [5], is the consumption of fuel wood and charcoal, especially in human settlements.…”

“…The Natural Park of the Mangroves of the Cacheu River in Guinea-Bissau is one of the most extensive mangrove areas of West Africa, and its importance for nature conservation was stablished during the 1980s by the Guinean authorities and the World Conservation Union [4,5]. Furthermore, this area was included in the RAMSAR list in 2015 (after Ramsar a city in Iran, wherein the 1971 Ramsar Convention was signed) [6].…”

“…For these reasons, the Cacheu River Natural Park was chosen as the area of study. This area was stablished as a Natural Park in 2000 [5]. The park is located in northwest Guinea-Bissau, between 12 • 10'-12 • The park's total vegetation extends across an area of 88,615 ha., 68% of which is covered by mangals.…”

Expansion of Cashew Cultivation and its Environmental and Economic Impacts on Guinea-Bissau

“…Much of the debate on the mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) has focused on the effects of deforestation. Forests are more than carbon stocks and and the REDD+ mechanism must be concerned not only with reducing the effects of climate change, but also with the creation of socioeconomic structures for the sustainable management of forests (Faria et al, 2014). In Guinea-Bissau, as CNS producers begin to invest in new technologies, that is, increasing their CNS production costs, there will be a reduction in fires to clear the land for cashew orchards, new techniques to combat pests through biopesticides, increased productivity, etc.…”

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Based on Multi-Hazardous Events. Case study: Northwestern Coastline of Guinea-Bissau (NC-GB)

“…Zone-B: Area with low coastal habitats quality and widely exposed to sea and contain low slope as well. Zone-C: the area with more coastal forests, dunes and sand beach with relatively higher cliff (De Faria et al 2014).…”