Abstract
The rapidly growing human population in West Africa has generated increasing demand for agricultural land and forest products. Consequently 90% of the original rainforest cover has now disappeared and the remainder is heavily fragmented and highly degraded. Although many studies have focused on carbon stocks and fluxes in intact African forests, little information exists on biomass recovery rates in secondary forests. We studied a chronosequence of 96 secondary and old-growth forest fragments (0.2 ha each) where 32.103 trees with Diameter at Breast Height >2.5 cm have been censused. We modelled the biomass recovery trajectories in a time-explicit Bayesian framework and tested the effect on recovery rates of a large set of covariates related to the physical environment, plot history, and forest connectivity. Recovery rate trajectory is highly non-linear: recovery rates accelerated from 1 to 37 years, when biomass recovery reached 4.23 Mg·ha −1 ·yr −1 , and decelerated afterwards. We predict that, on average, 10%, 25% and 50% of the old-growth forest biomass is respectively recovered 17, 30, and 51 years after abandonment. Recovery rates are strongly shaped by both the number of remnant trees (residuals of the former old-growth forest) and the previous crop cultivated before abandonment. The latter induced large differences in the time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass: from 38 years for former Yam fields up to 86 years for former rice fields. Our results emphasize (i) the very slow recovery rates of West African forests, as compared to Neotropical forests (ii) the long-lasting impacts of past human activities and management choices on ecosystem biomass recovery in West African degraded forests.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Forest biomass recovery accelerated to 37 years and then decelerated, reaching 4.23 Mg·ha −1 ·yr −1 at 37 years.
Verbatim
e0“recovery rates accelerated from 1 to 37 years, when biomass recovery reached 4.23 Mg·ha −1 ·yr −1 , and decelerated afterwards”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
t0“forested”
Claim · model-written summary
The model predicted 10% old-growth biomass recovery 17 years after abandonment.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“10%, 25% and 50% of the old-growth forest biomass is respectively recovered 17, 30, and 51 years after abandonment”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
The model predicted 25% old-growth biomass recovery 30 years after abandonment.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“10%, 25% and 50% of the old-growth forest biomass is respectively recovered 17, 30, and 51 years after abandonment”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
The model predicted 50% old-growth biomass recovery 51 years after abandonment.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“10%, 25% and 50% of the old-growth forest biomass is respectively recovered 17, 30, and 51 years after abandonment”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Remnant tree number strongly shaped forest recovery rates.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Recovery rates are strongly shaped by both the number of remnant trees (residuals of the former old-growth forest) and the previous crop cultivated before abandonment”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
t0“forested”
Claim · model-written summary
The previously cultivated crop strongly shaped forest recovery rates.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Recovery rates are strongly shaped by both the number of remnant trees (residuals of the former old-growth forest) and the previous crop cultivated before abandonment”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
t0“forested”
Claim · model-written summary
Former Yam fields required 38 years to recover half of old-growth forest biomass.
Verbatim
e0“from 38 years for former Yam fields up to 86 years for former rice fields”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
t0“forested”
Claim · model-written summary
Former rice fields required 86 years to recover half of old-growth forest biomass.
Verbatim
e0“from 38 years for former Yam fields up to 86 years for former rice fields”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”
t0“forested”
Claim · model-written summary
West African forest biomass recovers more slowly than Neotropical forest biomass.
Verbatim
e0“the very slow recovery rates of West African forests, as compared to Neotropical forests”
e1“time needed to recover 50% of an old-growth forest biomass”