Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Anthropocene. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Anthropocene, 27, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2019.100214
Accepted author manuscript, 3.84 MB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC-ND: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Deciphering African tropical forest dynamics in the Anthropocene
T2 - how social and historical sciences can elucidate forest research and management
AU - Walters, Gretchen
AU - Fraser, James
AU - Picard, Nicholas
AU - Hymas, Oliver
AU - Fairhead, James
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Anthropocene. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Anthropocene, 27, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2019.100214
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - Forests bear the historical legacies of human activities over thousands of years, including agriculture, trade, disease and resource extraction. Many of these activities may represent indices of the proposed geological epoch of the Anthropocene. Modifications to soil, topography and vegetation evidence anthropogenic influences. Yet studies of vegetation change throughout the humid tropics tend to occlude these by focusing on forest dynamics, timber, and biodiversity through permanent sample plots or forestry inventory plots. We highlight how history and social science can be combined with ecology to help better understand human signatures in forest dynamics. We (1) critically reviewecological methods in the light of the environmental and social history of the Afrotropics; (2) map current plot networks for West and Central Africa in relation to the Human Footprint Index; (3) using two case studies, demonstrate how history and social science bring new insights and inferences to plot-based studies; all leading to (4) novel forms of interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable forest conservation, management and restoration.
AB - Forests bear the historical legacies of human activities over thousands of years, including agriculture, trade, disease and resource extraction. Many of these activities may represent indices of the proposed geological epoch of the Anthropocene. Modifications to soil, topography and vegetation evidence anthropogenic influences. Yet studies of vegetation change throughout the humid tropics tend to occlude these by focusing on forest dynamics, timber, and biodiversity through permanent sample plots or forestry inventory plots. We highlight how history and social science can be combined with ecology to help better understand human signatures in forest dynamics. We (1) critically reviewecological methods in the light of the environmental and social history of the Afrotropics; (2) map current plot networks for West and Central Africa in relation to the Human Footprint Index; (3) using two case studies, demonstrate how history and social science bring new insights and inferences to plot-based studies; all leading to (4) novel forms of interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable forest conservation, management and restoration.
KW - Forest ecology
KW - Africa
KW - historical sciences
KW - social sciences
KW - forest management
KW - interdisciplinarity
U2 - 10.1016/j.ancene.2019.100214
DO - 10.1016/j.ancene.2019.100214
M3 - Journal article
VL - 27
JO - Anthropocene
JF - Anthropocene
SN - 2213-3054
M1 - 100214
ER -