Threatened birds of the Angolan Central Escarpment: distribution and response to habitat change at Kumbira Forest

Abstract

Kumbira Forest is the best representative area of Angola's Central Escarpment and the only site known to hold significant populations of four of the five threatened endemic bird species of this habitat. However, the forest is disappearing as a result of human activities. Remote-sensing techniques were used to assess changes in forest cover, and bird and habitat surveys were performed to assess the effect of land-use changes on endemic species and the bird community. No relationships could be established between the presence of endemics and habitat and landscape variables. This lack of effect may be attributable to the low number of records and compounded by the mosaic structure of the landscape. Although forest cover has been maintained in Kumbira, old-growth forest has been replaced by secondary growth in many areas. Nevertheless these secondary-growth forest patches can maintain a bird community similar to that found in old-growth forest.

Reducing emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation in Angola: Insights from the scarp forest conservation ‘hotspot’

“…Anthropogenic pressures have always been high on the central scarp forests. During the colonial era forests were converted to coffee plantations and, in 2002, after the end of the civil war and the return of people to rural regions, slash-and-burn agriculture has become widespread (Cáceres et al, 2015;Dean, 2001;Hawkins, 1993). (Gonçalves & Goyder, 2016).…”

“…This mechanism can be an important tool to reduce the depletion of forest resources and biodiversity in a country where half of the population live in rural areas and daily survival also relies on forest biodiversity (Republic of Angola, ). For that purpose, a montane forest of the Angolan escarpment (Kumbira Forest; Sekercioglu & Riley, ; Mills, ; Cáceres et al, ) was chosen. Here, two components of the FREL were assessed: (a) activity data related with the forest cover change over a 13‐year period; (b) emission factors from above‐ground carbon stock change factors; later, (c) spatial factors associated with deforestation that can support deforestation mitigation were identified; and (d) insights on how the REDD+ may support forest and biodiversity conservation in the escarpment forest provided.…”

“…This mechanism can be an important tool to reduce the depletion of forest resources and biodiversity in a country where half of the population live in rural areas and daily survival also relies on forest biodiversity (Republic of Angola, 2014). For that purpose, a montane forest of the Angolan escarpment (Kumbira Forest; Sekercioglu & Riley, 2005;Mills, 2010;Cáceres et al, 2015) was chosen. Here, two components of the FREL were assessed:…”

A brief botanical survey into Kumbira forest, an isolated patch of Guineo-Congolian biome

“…In terms of biodiversity, only the avifauna has been investigated in any detail (Hall 1960a, Cagan and Riley 2005, Mills 2010, Cáceres et al 2015). Recommendations have being made to undertake botanical surveys in the Kumbira area (Barbosa 1970, Huntley 1974).…”

Niche partitioning and environmental factors affecting abundance of strepsirrhines in Angola

“…Altitudes range from sea levels in the west to a maximum of 1000 m asl on the escarpment rim [Fund, 2012]. These sharp topographic features and habitat types contribute to creating an area of high levels of endemism and biological diversity, including an endemic subspecies of blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis mitis) [Bersacola et al, 2014;C aceres et al, 2014;Clark et al, 2011;Figueiredo et al, 2009;Fund, 2012;Myers et al, 2000;Ryan et al, 2004]. Angola's long history of war, which ended in 2002, made conducting scientific research nearly impossible, hence the majority of published research coming from relatively recent studies [Bersacola et al, 2014;Clark et al, 2011;Mills et al, 2011;Ryan et al, 2004;Sekercioglu & Riley, 2005;Weir, 2011;Weir et al, 2007].…”