Journal
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
Volume 20, Issue 14, Pages 3341-3362Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10531-011-0114-0
Keywords
Biodiversity; Vegetation type; Highly valued species; Life form; Sudanian zone; W National Park
Funding
- SUN [031685]
- Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) under the (Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-okonomischer Exzellenz) of the State of Hesse
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Biodiversity matters in many aspects for human well-being by providing timber and non-timber products. The most important ecosystems providing these products in West Africa are savannas. In the context of land-use changes, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of land-use on savanna vegetation and biodiversity. This study assesses the impact of land-use on savannas by comparing protected and communal areas. Vegetation relev,s were performed in the W National Park and its surrounding communal area in Burkina Faso. Vegetation types were established using ordination and clustering methods. We analyzed to find which environmental factors determine the occurrence of the vegetation types and whether land-use has a specific effect on diversity of vegetation types occurring in both areas. Furthermore, we tested the effect of land-use on vegetation structure and the occurrence of life forms and highly valued tree species. Our results reveal five vegetation types occurring in both areas. Elevation and soil characteristics played the most important role for the occurrence of the vegetation types. Land-use had an effect on vegetation structure, diversity, and the occurrence of life form and highly valued species. Our findings suggest that traditional human land-use does not automatically lead to loss of species and degradation of savanna habitats and that combination of communal and protected areas may be of great importance for the conservation of broad spectrum of biodiversity. Our study demonstrates the complexity of land-use impact on biodiversity patterns and provides insights on what kind of management activities may be most appropriate in both areas.
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