气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Tree diversity in a human modified riparian forest landscape in semi-arid Kenya

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DOI	10.1016/j.foreco.2018.11.030
	Tree diversity in a human modified riparian forest landscape in semi-arid Kenya
	Schmitt C.B.; Kisangau D.; Matheka K.W.
发表日期	2019
ISSN	0378-1127
起始页码	645
结束页码	655
卷号	433
英文摘要	Riparian forests in tropical drylands support high biodiversity and provide crucial ecosystem services. Yet, fertile soil, water availability and trees as a source of charcoal and timber make them a favourable place for settlements and subsistence agriculture. The present study aimed at evaluating the floristic diversity of riparian forest remnants in semi-arid Kenya as a basis for developing conservation and management strategies. Plant diversity was assessed along the Nzeeu and Kalundu rivers in Kitui County, Eastern Province, where riparian forest patches were intermingled with agricultural and grazing lands and invasive thickets dominated by Lantana camara. Diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of woody species (DBH > 5 cm) were recorded in a total of 74 transects (50 m × 10 m) laid out perpendicular to the rivers on both sides at 300 m intervals. In each transect, the distribution of six land cover types was mapped out and the distance of each plant individual from the river bank was noted. Overall, 631 individuals were recorded representing 85 woody species, of which 12 were exotic timber and fruit trees. Human activities mostly reached within 10 m of the river margin; indigenous vegetation covered only 12% of the transect area but had 188 tree individuals and 49 tree species (including 3 exotics), whereas agricultural land had a mean cover of 52%, 168 individuals and 39 species, including 9 exotics. Ordination and multi-level pattern analysis showed that Euphorbia bicompacta Bruyns, endemic to Kenya, and Commiphora samharensis Schweinf. were characteristic of indigenous vegetation, whereas Acacia species dominated in invasive thicket, grazing land and agricultural land. Only two species, Shirakiopsis elliptica (Hochst.) Esser and Rauvolfia caffra Sond., were clearly associated with the river bank, while the others represented a mix of riparian species with a broader ecological amplitude and typical dryland species. The study highlights that the area still supports viable remnants of indigenous riparian vegetation, whereas tree diversity on agricultural land is strongly shaped by human preferences and shows lack of recruitment. Targeted management interventions could support the maintenance of indigenous tree diversity with positive effects for overall biodiversity, soil protection and livelihood diversification. For instance, it is recommended to facilitate natural tree regeneration and to plant a variety of indigenous tree species, especially on the river banks. Further research is necessary to assess the status of riparian vegetation along similar dryland rivers in Kenya and Africa to adequately manage these important areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
英文关键词	Conservation; Deforestation; Invasive species; Restoration; Riverine forest; Wooded grassland
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Banks (bodies of water); Biodiversity; Charcoal; Conservation; Deforestation; Ecosystems; Image reconstruction; Orchards; Reforestation; Soil conservation; Timber; Vegetation; Diameter-at-breast heights; Ecological amplitude; Invasive species; Management interventions; Management strategies; Riverine forest; Subsistence agriculture; Wooded grassland; Rivers; anthropogenic effect; conservation; deforestation; dicotyledon; environmental restoration; evergreen tree; floristics; grassland; human activity; invasive species; land cover; riparian forest; semiarid region; species diversity; tree; Biodiversity; Charcoal; Conservation; Deforestation; Ecosystems; Orchards; Eastern Province [Kenya]; Kenya; Kitui; Acacia; Commiphora; Euphorbia; Lantana camara; Rauvolfia
来源期刊	Forest Ecology and Management
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/156245
作者单位	Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Genscherallee 3, Bonn, 53113, Germany; Institute of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, Freiburg, 79106, Germany; Department of Biology, South Eastern Kenya University, P.O Box 170 – 90200Kitui, Kenya; East African Herbarium, Botany Department, National Museums of Kenya, Museum Hill Road, P.O. Box, 40658 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Schmitt C.B.,Kisangau D.,Matheka K.W.. Tree diversity in a human modified riparian forest landscape in semi-arid Kenya[J],2019,433.
APA	Schmitt C.B.,Kisangau D.,&Matheka K.W..(2019).Tree diversity in a human modified riparian forest landscape in semi-arid Kenya.Forest Ecology and Management,433.
MLA	Schmitt C.B.,et al."Tree diversity in a human modified riparian forest landscape in semi-arid Kenya".Forest Ecology and Management 433(2019).