Extending the baseline of tropical dry forest loss in Ghana (1984–2015) reveals drivers of major deforestation inside a protected area

Janßen, Thomas; Ametsitsi, George K.D.; Collins, Murray; Adu‐Bredu, Stephen; Oliveras, Imma; Mitchard, Edward T. A.; Veenendaal, E.M.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.004

Cited by 47 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…At Kogyae, three plots corresponded to three different vegetation types: savanna, savanna-woodland transition and dry semi-deciduous forest. The area experiences a bimodal annual rainfall distribution with a high precipitation period from March to July and another high precipitation period in September and October, and December and January are the driest months with less than 30 mm rain (Janssen et al, 2018). The geology of Kogyae belongs to the Voltarian system, and the rocks are reddish brown sandstone whenever exposed.…”

Section: Rainfall Gradient (Ghana)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Taxonomy and Environment on Leaf Trait Variation Along Tropical Abiotic Gradients

Oliveras

Bentley

Fyllas

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Deconstructing functional trait variation and co-variation across a wide range of environmental conditions is necessary to increase the mechanistic understanding of community assembly processes and improve current parameterization of dynamic vegetation models. Here, we present a study that deconstructs leaf trait variation and co-variation into within-species, taxonomic-, and plot-environment components along three tropical environmental gradients in Peru, Brazil, and Ghana. To do so, we measured photosynthetic, chemical, and structural leaf traits using a standardized sampling protocol for more than 1,000 individuals belonging to 367 species. Variation associated with the taxonomic component (species + genus + family) for most traits was relatively consistent across environmental gradients, but within-species variation and plot-environment variation was strongly dependent on the environmental gradient. Trait-trait co-variation was strongly linked to the environmental gradient where traits were measured, although some traits had consistent co-variation components irrespective of gradient. Our results demonstrate that filtering along these tropical gradients is mostly expressed through trait taxonomic variation, but that trait co-variation is strongly dependent on the local environment, and thus global trait co-variation relationships might not always apply at smaller scales and may quickly change under future climate scenarios.

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Section: Rainfall Gradient (Ghana)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Taxonomy and Environment on Leaf Trait Variation Along Tropical Abiotic Gradients

Oliveras

Bentley

Fyllas

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…Specifically, in the west of Ghana, mining is the dominant cause of forest loss (Schueler, Kuemmerle, & Schröder, ), often done illegally, and associated with slavery—including forced and child labor and human trafficking (Bales, ; Verité, ). Additional losses to the forests are caused by illegal logging (estimates suggest that 34–70% of tree loss is caused by illegal logging practices in Ghana: Seneca Creek Associates & Wood Resources International, ; Hoare, ), and disturbance from fire (Janssen et al, ), which limit vegetation recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the co‐occurrence of tree loss and modern slavery to improve efficacy of conservation actions and policies

Jackson

Sparks

Brown

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Locations where populations are most reliant on forests and their ecosystem services for subsistence and development are also areas where modern slavery persists. These issues are noted within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both target 15.2 and 8.7 respectively. Often activities using slavery perpetuate deforestation, bolstering a slavery-environment nexus; which has been examined by comparing modern slavery estimates against environmental protection levels. This study assesses the relationship between tree loss and modern slavery focusing on four countries: Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, and Mozambique. Previously mapped levels of tree loss and predicted future levels of loss have been compared against modern slavery estimates from the Global Slavery Index 2016 and illegal logging analyses to determine an estimate of the risk for slavery related tree loss. These results provide an insight in to the cooccurrence between modern slavery and tree loss due to a number of activities that are highlighted, including mining, illegal logging, and agricultural practices. The co-occurrence is both complex, and yet, beyond coincidental. Implications for both national and global policy are noted assessing the benefits that could be achieved by limiting tree loss and ending modern slavery; of benefit to both the conservation and antislavery communities.

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“…Although conservationists are striving to preserve forests, farmers and extractive industries are encroaching on the forests for their livelihoods [1,2]. Human competition for land and consequent fragmentation of forests is a major cause of forest and biodiversity loss [3][4][5]. Although some stakeholders are benefiting from deforestation, the socioeconomic and environmental problems resulting from their actions have drawn global attention to the need to restore and sustainably manage forests [6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some residents of the fringe communities have legal and illegal farms within the forests [3,4]. Forest encroachment has been difficult to control in Ghana due to the complexity of activities occurring within the forests [5]. Restoring Ghana's degraded forests requires a multi-stakeholder approach that reconciles the competing interests of stakeholders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Landscape Approach Principles Motivates Forest Fringe Farmers to Reforest Ghana’s Degraded Reserves

Acheampong

Sayer

Macgregor

et al. 2020

Forests

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Research Highlights: Landscape approach principles were developed to address competing claims on resources at local scales. We used the principles to address agricultural expansion in Ghana's forest reserves. Background and Objectives: Agricultural expansion is a major cause of Ghana's forest-cover loss. Cultivation has totally deforested some forest reserves. The situation in Ghana illustrates the trade-off between attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 1-reduction of poverty, and 2-achieving food security, are in conflict with SDG 15-protecting and restoring forests. We examined how farmers in forest fringe communities could be engaged in restoring degraded forests using the landscape approach and whether their livelihoods were improved through the use of this approach. Materials and Methods: The Ongwam II Forest Reserve in the Ashanti region of Ghana is encroached by farmers from two communities adjacent to the reserve. We employed the 10 principles of the landscape approach to engage farmers in restoring the degraded reserve. The flexibility of the landscape approach provided a framework against which to assess farmer behaviour. We encouraged farmers to plant trees on 10 ha of the degraded reserve and to benefit through the cultivation of food crops amongst the trees. Results: Access to fertile forest soils for cultivation was the main motivation for the farmers to participate in the reforestation project. The farmers' access to natural and financial capital increased and they became food secure in the first year of the project's operation. Conclusions: Effective implementation of several small-scale reforestation projects using the landscape approach could together lead to a forest transition, more trees in agricultural systems and better protection of residual natural forests while improving farmers' livelihoods, all combining to achieve the SDGs.

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Extending the baseline of tropical dry forest loss in Ghana (1984–2015) reveals drivers of major deforestation inside a protected area

Cited by 47 publications

References 38 publications

The Influence of Taxonomy and Environment on Leaf Trait Variation Along Tropical Abiotic Gradients

The Influence of Taxonomy and Environment on Leaf Trait Variation Along Tropical Abiotic Gradients

Understanding the co‐occurrence of tree loss and modern slavery to improve efficacy of conservation actions and policies

Application of Landscape Approach Principles Motivates Forest Fringe Farmers to Reforest Ghana’s Degraded Reserves

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