Sustainable use of Savanna Vegetation in West Africa in the Context of Climate and Land use Change

Abstract

West African savannas undergo severe changes due to climate change and land use pressure, resulting in degradation and biodiversity loss. These changes directly impact local rural livelihoods, as many cash poor rural communities depend on the provisioning ecosystem services of their environments. In a case study of the interdisciplinary research project UNDESERT, the increasingly challenging sustainable use of wild plant species in West African savannas was investigated. In this study, we present the results and give examples of how scientific results can serve for practical actions to foster sustainable use of important plant resources.

Spatial pattern and density of woody plants in an agroforestry parkland in a West African savanna

“…Additionally, they provide other ecosystem goods and services relevant to the wellbeing of people on the continent including food, fuelwood, medicine, water and storage of carbon (Ryan et al, 2016). However, these ecosystem services are deteriorating due to a multiplicity of factors such as changes in land use and climate change, which degrades African savannas at unprecedented rates (Estes et al, 2016;Hahn & Leßmeister, 2021).…”