How changing fire management policies affect fire seasonality and livelihoods

Humphrey, Glynis; Gillson, Lindsey; Ziervogel, Gina

doi:10.1007/s13280-020-01351-7

Cited by 28 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The presence of frequent fires in the late dry season, in the absence of EDS management burns in the MUA West, is contributing towards increased risk of perpetual late‐season wildfires in the park. Due to the association of late‐season fires with high intensities (Govender et al, 2006), fires in MUA West are hotter and larger than fires in MUA East, and thus are considered as high risk and hard to control (Govender et al, 2006; Humphrey et al, 2020; van Wilgen et al, 2014). Smit et al (2016) emphasised in a study in Kruger National Park in South Africa that high‐intensity fires are more effective than low‐intensity fires in reducing woody cover in the short‐height classes, yet only in the short term.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of contrasting fire management practice on bush encroachment: Lessons from Bwabwata National Park, Namibia

Eastment

Humphrey

Hoffman

et al. 2022

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Bush encroachment, (i.e. disproportionate woody vegetation increase at the cost of grassland) has negative impacts for biodiversity conservation and tourism by homogenising habitat structure and decreasing grazing and game‐viewing. While herbivory, rainfall, and CO2 all influence changes in woody vegetation cover, fire has the best potential for vegetation management. Changes in fire management can either encourage or suppress bush encroachment and a better understanding of how changes in fire regime affect vegetation structure is needed. Therefore, this study addressed three questions: (a) how has woody cover changed over two decades (1999–2019); (b) what is the role of land use, rainfall, and fire in influencing woody cover change; and (c) what are the management implications? Location Bwabwata National Park (BNP), Namibia. Methods The study used a novel combination of repeat ground photography and satellite‐based remote‐sensing products to explore the change in woody vegetation in relation to rainfall, land use, and fire seasonality. Results Woody vegetation has increased by 13% since 1999 in BNP. Change in vegetation structure differed in the east and west of the park. Early‐season burns in the east of the park were associated with an increase in trees over 3 m tall consisting primarily of Dialium englerianum, Terminalia sericea and Burkea africana. Repetitive late dry‐season fires in the west of the park were associated with an increase in shrubs under 3 m dominated by Baphia massaiensis and Terminalia sericea. Conclusions Both early‐ and late‐season fires are of value in management of bush encroachment. Early dry‐season fires appear to reduce the rate of bush encroachment and contribute to maintaining a heterogeneous vegetation structure. This fire management strategy reduces wildfire risk, conserves biodiversity, and promotes tourism and is, therefore, recommended for the park.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of contrasting fire management practice on bush encroachment: Lessons from Bwabwata National Park, Namibia

Eastment

Humphrey

Hoffman

et al. 2022

J Vegetation Science

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“…In addition to ecosystem monitoring and the management of human impacts mentioned above, management targeted at achieving an appropriate amount of biomass burning in landscapes to maximize ecosystem diversity will also contribute to promoting ecosystem resilience, especially in northern African mediterranean‐type and tropical savanna ecosystems (Gillson et al, 2019; Humphrey et al, 2021). Such management will benefit from transdisciplinary experimental and palaeoecological studies on long‐term plant population and community response to varying frequencies and intensities of burning, in addition to varying timing through the year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term drivers and timing of accelerated vegetation changes in African biomes and their management implications

Adeleye

Connor

Haberle

et al. 2022

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim:Owing to its diverse bioclimatic zones, long human history and intense anthropogenic impacts, Africa provides a model system for studying how global terrestrial ecosystems might respond to accelerated socio-environmental stress. Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change and human impact, and insufficient baseline data hamper current environmental management efforts. Using palaeoecological data, we seek to identify the timing, pace and drivers of change in African biomes on a longterm scale to inform current ecosystem management frameworks on the continent. Location:Africa.Timeperiod:0-12 ka. Majortaxastudied:African biomes.Methods:Sixtyfour pollen records across Africa and nearby sites were retrieved from multiple databases/sources and grouped into biomes. Turnover (quantified using the squared chord distance dissimilarity metric) and rarefaction analyses were conducted on pollen records in each biome group to reconstruct regional temporal vegetation turnover and richness. Reconstructed vegetation turnover and richness were compared with independent records of climate, fire and human activity to identify possible drivers of change.Results:We found that the most stable biomes were those with the greatest floristic richness. Southern Africa's mediterranean-type (SAM) ecosystems were the most stable and northern Africa's mediterranean-type (NAM) ecosystems were the most unstable (mainly owing to fire). Tropical savannas (TS) and SAM ecosystems expressed the most sensitivity to climatic shifts from ≥6 ka, whereas tropical forests (TF) were relatively stable before human activities intensified from c. 2 ka. Floristic richness also declined across the tropics from c. 2 ka.Mainconclusions:Our analysis pinpoints NAM ecosystems as undergoing the fastest acceleration in turnover on the continent in response to fire, whereas TF and TS have been undergoing unprecedented changes in biodiversity in the last 2,000 years. We expect further changes in biodiversity where climate becomes warmer and drier and where human impacts are novel and rapid in comparison to long-term baselines.

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“…In Africa, fire is currently used to achieve a variety of park management goals (Nieman et al 2021). Plans should be based on the understanding of how species respond to fire and the role of fire in maintaining a landscape (He et al 2019), factoring in customary fire management (Humphrey et al 2020). Fire management in Gabon's parks has been conducted in some cases for more than 20 years, as is the case of the Parc National de la Lopé (Jeffery et al 2014).…”

Section: Fire Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flora and fire in an old-growth Central African forest-savanna mosaic: a checklist of the Parc National des Plateaux Batéké (Gabon)

Walters

Nguema²,

Niangadouma

2022

plecevo

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Background and aims – Old-growth savannas in Africa are impacted by fire, have endemic and geoxylic suffrutices, and are understudied. This paper explores the Parc National des Plateaux Batéké (PNPB) in Gabon and the impact of fire on its flora to understand if it is an old-growth savanna. It presents 1) a vascular plant checklist, including endemic species and geoxylic suffrutices and 2) an analysis of the impact of fire on the savanna herbaceous flora, followed by recommendations for fire management to promote plant diversity. Material and methods – 1,914 botanical collections from 2001–2019 collected by the authors and others were extracted from two herbaria databases in 2021 to create the checklist. The impact of fire was explored through a three season plot-based inventory of plant species (notably forbs and geoxylic suffrutices) in five annually, dry-season burned study areas located at 600 m in elevation. A two-factor ANOVA was conducted across two burn treatments and three season treatments. Key results – The area has a vascular flora of 615 taxa. Seven species are endemic to the Plateaux Batéké forest-savanna mosaic. Seventeen species are fire-dependent geoxylic suffrutices, attesting to the ancient origins of these savannas. Burning promotes fire-dependent species. Conclusion – The PNPB aims to create a culturally-adapted fire management plan. The combination of customary fire and fire-adapted species in the savanna creates a unique ancient forest-savanna mosaic in Central Africa that merits protection while recognising the role that the Batéké-Alima people have in shaping and governing this landscape.

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How changing fire management policies affect fire seasonality and livelihoods

Cited by 28 publications

References 34 publications

The influence of contrasting fire management practice on bush encroachment: Lessons from Bwabwata National Park, Namibia

The influence of contrasting fire management practice on bush encroachment: Lessons from Bwabwata National Park, Namibia

Long‐term drivers and timing of accelerated vegetation changes in African biomes and their management implications

Flora and fire in an old-growth Central African forest-savanna mosaic: a checklist of the Parc National des Plateaux Batéké (Gabon)

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