is an interesting observation recently made by researchers from the French Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) and the French Institute for Development Research (IRD). African tropical forests are truly endangered by global warming as well as by human behavior. They were based on data listing more than six million trees spread over more than 185,000 plots in five countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
An observation made thanks to a modeling of a large basin
The researchers were able to establish a fine model of this forest basin, often described as the second “green lung” of the world after the Amazon, and a mapping taking into account in particular the species of trees (more than 190 in total), which in particular made it possible to classify 10 main types of forest cover. Because “the forest basin of Central Africa is far from being a homogeneous green carpet,” underlines Maxime Réjou-Méchain, of the IRD, first author of the study. This diversity is due in particular to variations in climates and soils, as well as to the extent of human activity, such as shifting cultivation. By crossing these results with models of climate change (according to the scenarios of UN experts from the IPCC) and changes due to man, the researchers established a map of the possible vulnerability of these forest areas, based in particular on climate factors. , demography, and human activity, including extraction of raw materials. A particularly strong vulnerability on the southern and northern edges of the basin, on the Atlantic coastal strip and on most of the DRC.
The data and maps of the study accessible online should in particular make it possible to “guide the development of land use plans” that best preserve the sustainable management of forests, their biodiversity and their potential to fight against global warming through storage. of carbon.
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