Burning; Carbon stock; Exclosure; REDD+; Savanna; Transition forest; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract :
[en] Deforestation in the tropics is often followed by the creation of anthropogenic savannas used for animal husbandry. By discontinuing burning regimes, forests may recolonize the savanna and carbon stocks may recover. However, little is known about the success and speed of tropical forest recovery, while such information is vital for a better quantification of efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) as well as supporting Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) practices. Therefore, we designed a forest regeneration experiment within a savanna patch in the Mayombe hills (Democratic Republic of Congo), by discontinuing the annual burning regime in an 88 ha exclosure since 2005. 101 permanent inventory plots (40.4 ha) were installed in 2010 and remeasured in 2014. Tree species were classified as savanna or forest specialists. We estimate a forest specialist encroachment rate of 9 stems ha −1 yr −1 and a savanna specialist disappearance rate of 16 stems ha −1 yr −1 . Average diameter of forest specialists did not change due to an increasing influx of recruits, while average diameter of savanna trees increased due to decreasing recruitment. Carbon stored by forest specialists increased from 3.12 to 5.60 Mg C ha −1 , suggesting a forest carbon recovery rate of 0.62 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 . Using the average carbon stock of 19 nearby mature rainforest plots as a reference, we estimate a total forest carbon recovery time of at least 150 years. The Manzonzi exclosure may potentially become an important reference experiment to quantify REDD+ schemes in Central Africa. Furthermore, this natural regeneration experiment demonstrates how carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation can go hand-in-hand. However, more censuses are needed to better quantify the long-term carbon recovery trajectory within the protected area.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy Environmental sciences & ecology Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...) Life sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Deklerck, V.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium ; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium
De Mil, Tom ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières ; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium ; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium
Ilondea, B.A.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium ; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium ; Institut National pour l'Etude et la Recherche Agronomiques, Kinshasha, Democratic Republic Congo
Nsenga, L.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium ; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium ; World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasha, Democratic Republic Congo
De Caluwé, C.; World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Belgium, Brussel, Belgium
Van den Bulcke, J.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium
Van Acker, J.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium
Beeckman, H.; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium
Hubau, W.; UGent-Woodlab, Ghent University, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent, Belgium ; Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium ; School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Language :
English
Title :
Rate of forest recovery after fire exclusion on anthropogenic savannas in the Democratic Republic of Congo
VLIR - Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad BELSPO - Belgian Federal Science Policy Office
Funding text :
The authors would like to thank WWF-Belgium and WWF-DRC for their extensive logistical support as well as papa Mbambi and Olivier for their much needed and amazing help in the field. Special gratitude towards Jean Maron Maloti ma Songo for his continued effort in the inventory campaigns. Our gratitude is extended towards the inhabitants of Manzonzi for their cooperation in this project and to Marlies Volckaert with her help in the map development. The authors would also like to thank Maaike De Ridder for her help during the first analyses. Financial support was recieved through the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (UOS), Frame agreement RMCA-DBD and the Belspo Biospheretraits ( BL/37/UN31 ), Belspo Afriford ( BR/132/A1/AFRIFORD ) and Belspo HerbaXylaRedd ( BR/143/A3/HERBAXYLAREDD ) projects.Financial support for the field work and inventory campaigns was provided by the Belspo Biospheretraits (BL/37/UN31) project, the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (UOS) scholarship and the Frame agreement RMCA-DBD. Logistical support on site was provided by WWF-Belgium and WWF-DRC. The Belspo Afriford (BR/132/A1/AFRIFORD) and Belspo HerbaXylaRedd (BR/143/A3/HERBAXYLAREDD) projects funded the data analysis and manuscript preparation.
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