The welfare of people in the tropics and sub-tropics strongly depends on goods and services that savannaecosystems supply, such as food and livestock production, fuel wood, and climate regulation. Flows ofthese services are strongly influenced by climate, land use and their interactions. Savannas cover c. 20%of the Earth’s land surface and changes in the structure and dynamics of savanna vegetation may stronglyinfluence local people’s living conditions, as well as the climate system and global biogeochemical cycles.In this study, we use a dynamic vegetation model, the aDGVM, to explore interactive effects of climateand land use on the vegetation structure and distribution of West African savannas under current andanticipated future environmental conditions. We parameterized the model for West African savannas andextended it by including sub-models to simulate fire management, grazing, and wood cutting. The modelprojects that under future climate without human land use impacts, large savanna areas would shifttoward more wood dominated vegetation due to CO2fertilization effects, increased water use efficiencyand decreased fire activity. However, land use activities could maintain desired vegetation states thatensure fluxes of important ecosystem services, even under anticipated future conditions. Ecosystemmanagement can mitigate climate change impacts on vegetation and delay or avoid undesired vegetationshifts. The results highlight the effects of land use on the future distribution and dynamics of savannas.The identification of management strategies is essential to maintain important ecosystem services underfuture conditions in savannas worldwide.
{{menu_about_desc}}
Explore eventos futuros e passados em todo o mundo e online, sejam hospedados pelo CIFOR-ICRAF ou com a participação de nossos pesquisadores.
Découvrez les évènements passés et à venir dans le monde entier et en ligne, qu’ils soient organisés par le CIFOR-ICRAF ou auxquels participent nos chercheurs.
Jelajahi acara-acara mendatang dan yang telah lalu di lintas global dan daring, baik itu diselenggarakan oleh CIFOR-ICRAF atau dihadiri para peneliti kami.
Explore eventos futuros y pasados organizados por CIFOR-ICRAF o con la participación de nuestros investigadores.
{{menu_nowledge_desc}}.
{{menu_research_desc}}
{{menu_about_desc}}
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.
Explore upcoming and past events across the globe and online, whether hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF or attended by our researchers.
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.
