50 years of woody vegetation changes in the Ferlo (Senegal) assessed by high-resolution imagery and field surveys

0106 biological sciences F40 - Écologie végétale [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] Temporal trends http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_26448 01 natural sciences changement de couvert végétal http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_36761 Woody vegetation http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_50 plante ligneuse http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_6734 Sahel Balanites aegyptiaca inventaire forestier http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_6970 High-resolution imagery 0105 earth and related environmental sciences 580 2. Zero hunger http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_24174 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_26837 http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_9000093 15. Life on land Acacia tortilis Senegal 6. Clean water [SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio] imagerie par satellite Field inventory Combretum P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières U30 - Méthodes de recherche http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_33300 woody vegetation
DOI: 10.1007/s10113-020-01724-4 Publication Date: 2020-11-23T10:42:42Z
ABSTRACT
Woody vegetation dynamics in the Sahel have been debated since the great droughts of the 1970s–1980s. Here, we combined high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery, field inventory, and historical botanical records to study woody vegetation trends over the years 1965, 1980, 2008, and 2018 in the Ferlo, the Sahelian sylvo-pastoral zone of Senegal. While tree density has decreased from 1965 (14.8 trees ha−1) to 1980 (13.4 trees ha−1) and 2008 (11.9 trees ha−1), tree density has stabilized in 2018 (12.2 trees ha−1). The relatively moderate decrease in tree density over 50 years characterized by extensive human pressure and droughts, as well as the rather stable woody cover following the drought years after the 1980s, do not support narratives of widespread desertification in this region. However, we observed a shift in the composition of species. While the drought-resistant tree Balanites aegyptiaca showed a stable abundance, Acacia tortilis showed strong increases and other species like Sclerocarya birrea and Combretum glutinosum decreased. In addition, recent field surveys show that the ratio between shrubs and trees has increased towards more shrubs. The observed loss of species diversity combined with the increase of drought-resistant species is in line with current observations for savanna ecosystems in the context of an increased aridity.
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