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Farmers’ contributions to the conservation of tree diversity in the Groundnut Basin, Senegal

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Abstract

Tree diversity in West Africa is threatened by intensified land uses and salinization, and farmers’ role in conservation of tree species is unclear. We hypothesized that farmers contribute to conservation of tree diversity through protection of trees in their agroforestry landscapes and compared the diversity and structure of the tree vegetation across landscape classes. Inventories were carried out in three villages in the Groundnut Basin in Senegal, assessing tree diversity, density and crown cover. Tree diversity as assessed by species accumulation curves was high in forests, but cultivated landscapes had comparable or almost comparable diversity, especially in the cases where the forest was planted or was affected by charcoal production. However, the occurrence of exotic species was higher in cultivated parts of the landscape, and although many species were in common, ordination plots indicated that forests and cultivated landscapes to some degree had different species composition. Salinity had a strong influence on vegetation, not only in the tans (salt marshes) but also across the other landscape classes. In conclusion, agroforestry landscapes in the three villages harbor considerable tree diversity, but insufficient to fully conserve the tree species. We argue that informing and including farmers in tree management in the region will contribute to overall conservation of tree genetic resources.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the data collection team (Malick Diatta, Hyacinthe Sambou, Mamadou Camara, Mamor Ngom) and to Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement (ISE) de l’Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar for assistance with maps. This research was funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Antoine Sambou & Anders Ræbild

  2. Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement (ISE), Faculté des Sciences et Technique, Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal

    Bienvenu Sambou

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  1. Antoine Sambou
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  2. Bienvenu Sambou
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  3. Anders Ræbild
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Correspondence to Antoine Sambou.

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Project funding: This research was funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).

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Sambou, A., Sambou, B. & Ræbild, A. Farmers’ contributions to the conservation of tree diversity in the Groundnut Basin, Senegal. J. For. Res. 28, 1083–1096 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0374-y

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