The greening in the Senegalese Sahel has been linked to an increase in net primary productivity, with significant long-term trends being closely related to the woody strata. This study investigates woody plant growth and mortality within greening areas in the pastoral areas of Senegal, and how these dynamics are linked to species diversity, climate, soil and human management. We analyse woody cover dynamics by means of multi-temporal and multi-scale Earth Observation, satellite based rainfall and in situ data sets covering the period 1994 to 2015. We find that favourable conditions (forest reserves, low human population density, sufficient rainfall) led to a rapid growth of Combretaceae and Balanites aegyptiaca between 2000 and 2013 with an average increase of 4% woody cover. However, the increasing dominance and low drought resistance of drought prone species bears the risk of substantial woody cover losses following drought years. This was observed in 2014-2015, with a die off of Guiera senegalensis in most places of the study area. We show that woody cover and woody cover trends are closely related to mean annual rainfall, but no clear relationship with rainfall trends was found over the entire study period. The observed spatial and temporal variation contrasts with the simplified labels of "greening" or "degradation". While in principal a low woody plant diversity negatively impacts regional resilience, the Sahelian system is showing signs of resilience at decadal time scales through widespread increases in woody cover and high regeneration rates after periodic droughts. We have reaffirmed that the woody cover in Sahel responds to its inherent climatic variability and does not follow a linear trend. © 2017 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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O CIFOR-ICRAF publica mais de 750 publicações todos os anos sobre agrossilvicultura, florestas e mudanças climáticas, restauração de paisagens, direitos, política florestal e muito mais – em vários idiomas..
CIFOR-ICRAF alcança impacto baseado na ciência. Conduzimos pesquisas inovadoras, fortalecemos a capacidade dos parceiros e nos engajamos ativamente no diálogo com todas as partes interessadas, trazendo os insights mais recentes sobre florestas, árvores, paisagens e pessoas para a tomada de decisões globais.
CIFOR-ICRAF aborda desafios e oportunidades locais ao mesmo tempo em que oferece soluções para problemas globais para florestas, paisagens, pessoas e o planeta.
Fornecemos evidências e soluções acionáveis para transformer a forma como a terra é usada e como os alimentos são produzidos: conservando e restaurando ecossistemas, respondendo ao clima global, desnutrição, biodiversidade e crises de desertificação. Em suma, melhorar a vida das pessoas.
CIFOR–ICRAF achieves science-driven impact. We conduct innovative research, strengthen partners’ capacity and actively engage in dialogue with all stakeholders, bringing the latest insights on forests, trees, landscapes and people to global decision making.
CIFOR–ICRAF publishes over 750 publications every year on agroforestry, forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy and much more – in multiple languages.
CIFOR–ICRAF addresses local challenges and opportunities while providing solutions to global problems for forests, landscapes, people and the planet.
We deliver actionable evidence and solutions to transform how land is used and how food is produced: conserving and restoring ecosystems, responding to the global climate, malnutrition, biodiversity and desertification crises. In short, improving people’s lives.
