PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 1: Landscape History
Monday, August 8, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 513 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
A multi-scale assessment of anthropogenic and climatic influences on forest cover in Madagascar.
Ingram, Jane*,1, 2, 1 Columbia University, New York, NY, USA2 University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
ABSTRACT- Mitigating human impact on biodiverse natural environments requires identification of the patterns and processes driving environmental change and an understanding of the relationship between anthropogenic and physical factors, which may vary across spatial and temporal scales. This research considers such issues in Madagascar, a biodiversity hotspot, where both climate and humans have historically acted synergistically to shape the island's natural environment. Here, ground survey data and satellite remote sensing date at multiple scales are used to assess forest cover, deforestation trends and forest condition in relation to climatic and human influences. At the local scale, where anthropogenic impact is often most pronounced, patterns of tree diversity and abundance were assessed in relation to forest condition and human use. The local-scale site is located in south-eastern Madagascar where a littoral forest ecosystem, limited in extent and a national conservation priority, stands threatened by both human use and a proposed mining project. The primary findings demonstrate that (1) climate, specifically ENSO events, is a dominant factor controlling forest cover at a national scale; (2) patterns of national, regional and local forest loss vary across spatial and temporal scales; (3) forest basal area, an indicator of forest condition, is influenced by environmental factors at a broad scale and human impact at the landscape scale; (4) the littoral forests retain high conservation and human use values despite chronic exploitation by local people. The results presented here suggest that conservation in Madagascar must address the multi-scalar forcings of both climate and humans on forest systems. Understanding how these factors interact at different temporal and spatial scales may greatly aid conservation and natural resource planning.
Key words: madagascar, forest, climate, human impact