The Conservation atlas of tropical forests. Africa

296 Pages·1992·25.9 MB·English

by  Sayer, J.A., Harcourt, C.S., Collins, N.M.

EERVATION ATLAS~~ ”es au,
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Africa’s forests are being depleted at a faster rate than )
those of any other continent. A major increase in the
population growth rate began after World War II and
it is now running at an annual rate of 2.9 per cent,
resulting in massive demands for agricultural land,
water, fuelwood and other products. The message of
this book is that forest conservation must be part of a
broader process of managing the landscape.
The forests of Africa present a complex picture. The
most striking picture to emerge is that only Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Zaire still retain more
than half of their original forest cover; most of the
other 32 countries have less than one-fifth remaining.
Nature conservation, and in particular protected
areas, have had strong political support in recent
years, and Africa entered the 1980s with a strong
network of national parks and forest reserves. By 1991,
38 African countries had committed themselves to the
Tropical Forestry Action Plan which supports
conservation of ecosystems. Many other international
initiatives have focused attention on the forests of
Africa.
The Atlas is divided into two parts.
Part I describes the issues: history of forests and
climate; biological diversity; conservation of large
mammals; forest peoples; links between population,
environment and agriculture; the timber trade; forest
management; protected area systems; and the future
for Africa’s forests.
Part II is a country-by-country survey of the forests of
Africa. The forest maps have been compiled from
satellite and radar imagery and aerial photography, and
were provided by forest departments, development
agencies and international organisations. FAO and
UNEP in particular have provided much appreciated
co-operation, and both text and maps have been been
written, compiled and reviewed by a broad spectrum
of specialists. They represent the best published maps
of Africa’s forests available today.
As the Atlas makes clear ‘the knowledge and resources
are now available and the time has come to translate
the many plans and strategies into practical action. It
is against this that our descendants will judge the
success or failure of our conservation efforts.’

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge
http:/Awww.archive.org/details/conservationatlag2saye
THE CONSERVATION ATLAS
O
TROPICAL FORESTS
AFRICA
Contributors
SIMON ANSTEY, WWF-International, Gland, ARTHUR GREEN, WWF, Korup National Park, Don Moore, US Geological Survey, Eros Data
Switzerland Cameroon Center, Sioux Falls, USA
E.O.A. AsiBpeEY, World Bank, Washington, D.C., GLEN GREEN, Geology Department, Macalester TH. MULLER, National Herbarium and National
USA College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA Botanic Garden, Harare, Zimbabwe
SERGE BAHUCHET, Centre Nationale de MICHAEL GREEN, WCMC, Cambridge, UK DOMINIQUE N’Sosso, Ministry of Forest
Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France JOHN HALL, School of Agricultural and Forest Economy, Brazzaville, Congo
RoBeERT BalLey, Department of Anthropology, Sciences, Bangor, UK JOHN Oates, Hunter College, City University of
University of California, Los Angeles, USA ALAN C. HAMILTON, WWF, Godalming, Surrey, UK New York, USA
ANDREW BALMFORD, Large Animal Research ALEXANDER HaARCourRT, Department of KATIE OFFERT, Nyungwe Forest Conservation
Group, University of Cambridge, UK Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Project, Rwanda
R.K. BAMFO, Forestry Commission, Accra, Ghana USA NICOLA O’NEILL, Swansea, Wales
RICHARD Barnes, Wildlife Conservation JOHN Hart, Wildlife Conservation International, J.G.K. Owusu, Insitute of Renewable Resources,
International, University of California, San Project Okapi, Epulu, Zaire Kumasi, Ghana
Diego, USA TERESE Hart, Wildlife Conservation Risto PAIVINEN, FINNIDA, Finland
RICHARD BARNWELL, WWF, Godalming, Surrey, UK International, Project Okapi, Zaire PRINCE PALMER, Forestry Division, Sierra Leone
JosEPH B. BESSONG, Forestry Department, WILLIAM HawTHoRNE, ODA, Kumasi, Ghana ALEXANDER PEAL, Forestry Development
Yaounde, Cameroon PHILIPPE HECKETSWEILER, Institut Botanique, Authority, Liberia
NEIL Birp, ODA, Kumasi Ghana Montpellier, France JEAN-YVES PIROT, IUCN Wetlands Programme,
A. BLom, WWF, Epulu, Zaire BARRY HEWLETT, Tulane University, New Gland, Switzerland
K.T. BoaTENG, Forestry Department, Accra, Orleans, USA ROGER POLHILL, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
Ghana PETER HowarD, Kampala, Uganda Surrey, UK
DENYS BOURQUE, Quebec, Canada Mark INFIELD, WWF-International, Gland, DEREK PoMEROY, Zoology Department,
NEIL BurGEss, RSPB, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK Switzerland Makerere University, Uganda
PETER BurGEss, Suffolk, UK GIL IsaBIRYE-BasuTA, Kibale, Uganda G. PUNGESE, Department of Game and Wildlife,
JOHN BuRLISON, Nature Conservancy Council, MarTIN JENKINS, Cambridge, UK Accra, Ghana
Balloch, Scotland ANDY JOHNS, Kibale, Uganda S.J. QUASHIE-SAM, Institute of Renewable
Tom ButynskI, Impenetrable Forest PETER JONES, Department of Natural Resources Resources, Kumasi, Ghana
Conservation Project, Uganda and Forestry, Edinburgh University, UK SIMON RIETBERGEN, ITED, London, UK
G. CaBALLE, Institut Botanique, Montpellier, Scorr Jones, Bristol, UK ANNE ROBERTSON, National Museums of Kenya,
France Curis JUSTICE, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Nairobi, Kenya
JULIAN CALDECOTT, Cambridge, UK Center, Greenbelt, USA ALAN RODGERS, Cambridge, UK
PIERRE CAMPREDON, IUCN, Bissau, Guinea- FRANCIS KasiIs1, WWF-International, Gland, ALISON ROssER, Cambridge, UK
Bissau Switzerland PER RYDEN, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
RICHARD CARROLL, WWF, Dzanga-Sangha, RONALD Keay, Cobham, Surrey, UK JACQUELINE SAWYER, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
Central African Republic JACKIE KENDALL, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Gotz SCHREIBER, World Bank, Washington,
JAVIER CASTROVIEJO, Asociacion Amigos de Center, Greenbelt, USA D.C., USA
Donana, Seville, Spain OLIVIER LANGRAND, WWF, Antananarivo, HEINRICH STOLL, Bremen, Germany
KEVIN CLEAVER, World Bank, Washington, D.C., Madagascar Davip STONE, Begnins, Switzerland
USA NIGEL LEADER-WILLIAMS, Large Animal SIMON STuaRT, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
NonIE COULTHARD, RSPB, Sandy, Bedfordshire, Research Group, University of Cambridge, ROBERT SUSSMAN, Anthropology Department,
UK UK Washington University, St Louis, Missouri,
MICHAEL Crossy, ICBP, Cambridge, UK DAMIEN Lewis, London, UK USA
ALAN Cross, UNEP/GRID, Geneva, Switzerland MICHEL LOUETTE, Musée Royal de l’Afrique IAN THORPE, School of Biology, University of
GLyn Davies, ODA, Nairobi, Kenya Centrale, Belgium East Anglia, UK
JEAN-PIERRE D’HuaART, WWF, Brussels, Belgium RICHARD Lowe, Botany Department, University RAPHAEL TsILA, Ministry of Forest Economy,
CHARLES DOUMENGE, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland of Ibadan, Nigeria Brazzaville, Congo
FRANCOISE DOWSETT-LEMaIRE, Liege, Belgium PETER Lowry, Missouri Botanical Garden, St K. TuFour, Forestry Commission, Accra, Ghana
JosEPpH DuDLEyY, Department of Biology and Louis, USA CAROLINE TUTIN, Lopé Reserve, Gabon
Wildlife, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA H.F. Marrre, Centre Technique Forestier Amy VEDDER, Wildlife Conservation
Pat DuGan, IUCN Wetlands Programme, Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France International, New York, USA
Gland, Switzerland CLAUDE MartTIn, WWF-International, Gland, FRED VOOREN, Forestry Department, University
Curis Ettiotr, WWF-International, Gland, Switzerland of Wageningen, Netherlands
Switzerland JAMES Mayers, WWF, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania JoHN WauGu, IUCN, Washington, D.C., USA
JOHN FA, Irish Town, Gibraltar MANKOTO MA MBAELELE, Zaire Institue for Cuiive Wicks, WWF, Godalming, Surrey, UK
JuLIA FALCONER, ODA, Kumasi, Ghana Nature Conservation, Kinshasa, Zaire ROGER WILSON, FFPS, London, UK
J. H. FRANCOISE, Forestry Department, Accra, JEFF MCNEELY, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Ron Witt, UNEP/GRID, Geneva, Switzerland
Ghana TOM MCSHANE, WWE-US, Libreville, Gabon PETER Woop, RSPB, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK
K. FRIMPONG-MENSAH, Institute of Renewable ERICA MCSHANE-CALUZI, WWF-US, Libreville, IPALAKA YOBWA, Forest Inventory and
Resources, Kumasi, Ghana Gabon Management Service, Kinshasa, Zaire
STEVE GARTLAN, WWF, Douala, Cameroon JEAN-BONIFACE MEMVIE, Forest Service,
K. GHaRTEY, Forestry Department, Accra, Libreville, Gabon
Ghana HADELIN MERTENS, WWF, Kinshasa, Zaire In addition authors and reveiwers are acknowl-
DONALD GORDON, WCMC, Cambridge, UK ALAIN Monrort, Liége, Belgium edged at the end of each chapter.
il
THE CONSERVATION ATLAS
OF
TROPICAL FORESTS
AFRICA
Editors
JEFFREY A. SAYER
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland
CAROLINE S. HARCOURT
World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
N. MARK COLLINS
World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
Editorial Assistant: Clare Billington - Map Editor: Mike Adam
World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge
£ q) The World [ ny
% } Conservation . A
Union WORLD CONSERVATION
MACMILLAN MONITORING CENTRE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This atlas was produced under the Forest Conservation Programme Contributors to the atlas are listed earlier and their labours are
of IUCN, The World Conservation Union.. TUCN’s work in much appreciated. A work of this nature, however, inevitably rep-
tropical forests receives financial support from the government of resents the labours of hundreds of people who have painstakingly
Sweden. Much of the research, editing and map preparation was documented the forests, researching their ecology and wildlife, and
done at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre which is who have laboured over the production of the maps from field work
supported by IUCN, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and to final printing. Heartfelt thanks are offered by the editors to all
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the Centre these unnamed people.
is also part of UNEP’s Global Environment Monitoring System The editors would also like to thank all their colleagues at IUCN
(GEMS) towards which this atlas is a contribution. and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, without whose
IUCN is especially indebted to The British Petroleum Company dedicated work this project would not have been possible. In
p.l.c. for the original idea for the atlas and for the generous fund- WCMC, particular thanks go to Harriet Gillett and Donald
ing which has enabled the research for the project to be undertaken. Gordon for information on conservation areas, to Simon Blyth and
Thanks also go to IBM, for providing a computer which was Gillian Bunting for work on the maps and to Barbara Brown, James
used for running the geographic information system (GIS) needed Culverwell, Brian Groombridge and Martin Jenkins for much
to compile the maps, and to the Environmental Systems Research appreciated and varied assistance. At IUCN, invaluable help was
Institute (ESRI) of California which provided the ARC/INFO soft- provided by Ursula Senn, Jacqueline Sawyer and Jill Blockhus.
ware for the project. Petroconsultants Ltd of Cambridge kindly Finally, Paul Woodman at the Royal Geographical Society gave us
made available ‘MundoCart’, a world digital mapping database considerable aid with, among other things, correct spellings of
which proved invaluable in the preparation of this atlas. ever-changing place names.
Copyright © IUCN 1992
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication
may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with wnitten permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licencing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P
9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
First published in the United Kingdom by Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1992
Distributed by Globe Book Services Ltd
Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hants RG21 2XS
British Cataloguing in Publication Data
Sayer, Jeffrey A.
The Conservation atlas of tropical forests.
Africa.
I. Title II Harcourt, Caroline S. III Collins, N. Mark
574.5022
ISBN 0 333 57757-4
Acknowledgement of Sources
The sources of the country maps are given at the end of each chapter.
The sources of the illustrations and maps are given in footnotes and captions.
Designed by Robert Updegraff.
Map Production by Lovell Johns, Oxford
Typeset by BP Intergraphics, Bath, Avon.
Printed and bound in Singapore
Contents
Foreword
ParRT I: THE ISSUES
Introduction
History of Forests and Climate
Biological Diversity
Case Studies in Conserving Large Mammals
Forest People
Population, Environment and Agriculture
Timber Trade
Forest Management
The Protected Areas System
O&BMWAN IDM
A Future for Africa’s Tropical Forests
—_= )
PART II: COUNTRY STUDIES
11 Benin and Togo
12 Burundi and Rwanda 102
13 Cameroon 110
14 Central African Republic 119
15 Congo 125
16 Cote d’Ivoire 133
17 Eastern Africa 143
Djibouti Somalia
Ethiopia Sudan
Kenya Tanzania
18 Equatorial Guinea 161
19 Gabon 168
20 The Gambia and Senegal WS)
21 Ghana 183
22 Guinea 193
23 Guinea-Bissau
24 Indian Ocean Islands
Comoros Reunion
Mauritius Seychelles
25 Liberia
26 Madagascar
27 Nigeria
28 Sao Tomé and Principe nS io)
29 Sierra Leone
30 Southern Africa NDWNH wONHN
Angola Mozambique
Malawi Zimbabwe
31 Uganda
32 Zaire
Acronyms
Glossary
Index of Species
General Index
Foreword
The loss of the world’s tropical forests is one of today’s most publicised, debated and least understood environmental issues.
Some articles give the impression that the destruction is so rapid and catastrophic that by the end of the century there will be
only scattered remnants of forest in increasingly embattled national parks. More than half the species that live on land are
inhabitants of the tropical forests and a simple extrapolation leads to dire conclusions about what forest clearance means for the
world’s biological diversity.
But the situation is far more complicated than that. The statistics of total forest loss - 17 million hectares a year, an area
considerably bigger than Switzerland - mask an intricate pattern of variation from country to country. The causes of forest loss
also vary, though clearance for cultivation is generally the most important.
Deciding what policy to pursue is not easy for tropical governments who are striving to meet the needs of growing populations
and to secure economic growth that will allow them to end degrading poverty and provide food security, health care, education
and employment. For such nations, forest resources are vital. For many people the forests are the only homes they have ever
known.
Used sustainably for meat, nuts, fruits, gums, wild rubber, fibre, medicines, rattans and carefully extracted timber, tropical
forests can provide a continuous supply of materials and income to human communities and at the same time maintain local
climate, regulate the run-off of rainfall and lock up some of the carbon dioxide, the accumulation of which is causing climatic
change. Used destructively the forests may give Gross National Product a quick boost but often leave local communities ruined.
Governments everywhere are reviewing their policies and moving towards sustainable management. They are negotiating
international conventions to conserve biological diversity and halt climate change. Conventions on Forests and Biodiversity are
also being discussed. Wise use is central to all these initiatives but conventions cannot work without sound knowledge of the
forests themselves: where they are, what species exists in them and what essential services they provide. It is a remarkable and
disconcerting truth that we lack much of this essential knowledge today.
In 1974 Reider Persson wrote, in a ground-breaking survey of the world’s forest resources, “we know quite a lot about the
moon, but we do not know how much of the earth is covered by forests and woodlands.’ His words are still true. The problem
is particularly acute for Africa. Although we have the capacity to use remote sensing to monitor in considerable detail what is
happening in tropical forests, no forest map has ever been produced for some countries and for many the statistics available from
different sources are contradictory.
This atlas is an attempt to present the facts on forest extent and loss in Africa. It addresses the issues central to forest
conservation and sustainable use. What are the real causes of loss? What are the values of the forests to the people of Africa?
How can these values be translated into tangible benefits for the poor rural societies who live in and around the most diverse
forests?
The volume begins with an analysis of ecological history. Contrary to popular belief that tropical forests are ancient and
unchanging, those of Africa have changed a great deal with the past few tens of thousands of years in response to alterations in
climate and sea level. These dynamics need to be understood. The later chapters analyse the characteristics of today’s forest,
the ways forest-dwelling peoples use them and the implications of agricultural and social trends. The role of the timber industry
as a potential force for conservation or destruction is evaluated.
The maps are the heart of the atlas. They have been much more difficult to compile than in our previous volume on the forests
of the Asia/Pacific region. Those for most of West Africa and large parts of Central Africa have never before been published.
These maps are based on satellite imagery obtained in the past few years and they give a new picture of the dramatic decline in
the forests of these areas. The continent is losing its forests faster than any other region. Thirty per cent have already gone and
the remainder are being eroded at 1 per cent per year. In Central Africa, where very large tracts of forest remain, they are being
fragmented and encroached upon by small farmers. Even light disturbance makes them very vulnerable to fire. Finally, most of
Africa’s closed forest occur under rainfall regimes which are marginal for this type of vegetation and as a consequence they are
more vulnerable to disturbance or small changes in climate than those of other regions.
This atlas is offered to all concerned with conservation and sustainable living in the forested zone of Africa. Those processes
will only come about if they are a priority of the peoples of Africa. Conservation programmes that seek to impose external views
are doomed to failure. There is a new emerging generation of African conservationists who are well aware of the materials and
cultural value of the forests to African societies. Many of them have contributed to this atlas. We hope that the atlas will be of
value to them and to their nations in ensuring that Africa’s wonderful forests, and the diverse animal life they support, remain a
prized asset in the 21st century.
MARTIN HOLDGATE
Director General
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
vi