Does degradation from selective logging and illegal activities differently impact forest resources? A case study in Ghana

Abstract

(1-3) Degradation, a reduction of the ecosystem's capacity to supply goods and services, is widespread in tropical forests and mainly caused by human disturbance. To maintain the full range of forest ecosystem services and support the development of effective conservation policies, we must understand the overall impact of degradation on different forest resources. This research investigates the response to disturbance of forest structure using several indicators: soil carbon content, arboreal richness and biodiversity, functional composition (guild and wood density), and productivity. We drew upon large field and remote sensing datasets from different forest types in Ghana, characterized by varied protection status, to investigate impacts of selective logging, and of illegal land use and resources extraction, which are the main disturbance causes in West Africa. Results indicate that functional composition and the overall number of species are less affected by degradation, while forest structure, soil carbon content and species abundance are seriously impacted, with resources distribution reflecting the protection level of the areas. Remote sensing analysis showed an increase in productivity in the last three decades, with higher resiliency to change in drier forest types, and stronger productivity correlation with solar radiation in the short dry season. The study region is affected by growing anthropogenic pressure on natural resources and by an increased climate variability: possible interactions of disturbance with climate are also discussed, together with the urgency to reduce degradation in order to preserve the full range of ecosystem functions.

Climate change-induced salinity variation impacts on a stenoecious mangrove species in the Indian Sundarbans

“…Even though numerous studies on tropical plant biomass have been carried out in the last years (Valentini et al 2014;Battipaglia et al 2015;Cazzolla Gatti et al 2015;Avitabile et al 2016;Vaglio Laurin et al 2016) and some have focused on mangroves wood production, forest conservation and ecosystem management (Putz and Chan 1986;Tamai et al 1986;Komiyama et al 1987;Clough and Scott 1989;Chaudhuri and Choudhury 1994;McKee 1995;Ong et al 1995;Mitra and Pal 2002;, this study represents the first evidence showing the impact of salinity changes due to a combination of climatic and other anthropogenic changes on a mangrove species in the Indian Sundarbans.…”

Tree species diversity of three Ghanaian reserves

“…Timber extraction is the principal anthropogenic impact and the main cause of species extinction in terrestrial forest ecosystems (Harvey & Pimentel 1996), and even selective logging has been questioned for its negative effects on both animal and plant diversity (Fredericksen & Fredericksen 2002, Vaglio Laurin et al 2016. African tropical forests have been exploited and severely disturbed by anthropogenic activities for many centuries (Valentini et al 2014).…”

The last 50 years of climate‐induced melting of the Maliy Aktru glacier (Altai Mountains, Russia) revealed in a primary ecological succession

“…A fact that cannot be ignored by skeptical scientists and policymakers, particularly in this era of severe anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystems (Cazzolla Gatti, 2016b; Vaglio Laurin et al. 2016). …”

“…In this regard, the scientific community is producing a great effort in solving the pseudoreplication problem (invoked by Hurlbert, 1984) by showing that replicates (most of the glaciers in the world) under the same treatment (climate change) exhibit similar trends. A fact that cannot be ignored by skeptical scientists and policymakers, particularly in this era of severe anthropogenic impacts on the ecosystems (Cazzolla Gatti, 2016b;Vaglio Laurin et al 2016). Mascalchi for the molecular analysis is also gratefully acknowledged.…”