Browsing by Author "Marshall, Andrew R."

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Carbon storage, structure and composition of miombo woodlands in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2011) Shirima, Deo D.; Munishi, Pantaleo K. T.; Lewis, Simon L.; Burgess, Neil D.; Marshall, Andrew R.; Balmford, A.; Swetnam, Ruth D.; Zahabu, E.M
We determine the aboveground biomass and carbon stor- age (ABGC) of trees and the herbaceous layer in miombo woodland in the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) of Tanza- nia. In four 1-ha sample plots in Nyanganje and Kitonga Forests, we measured all trees ‡10 cm diameter alongside height and wood mass density. The plots contained an average of 20 tree species ha )1 (range 11–29) and 344 stems ha )1 (range 281–382) with Shannon diversity values of 1.05 and 1.25, respectively. We weighted nine previously published woody savannah allometric models based on whether: (i) the model was derived from the same geographical region; (ii) the model included tree height ⁄ - wood mass density in addition to stem diameter; and (iii) sample size was used to fit the model. The weighted mean ABGC storage from the nine models range from 13.5 ± 2 to 29.8 ± 5 Mg ha )1 . Measured ABGC storage in the herbaceous layer, using the wet combustion method, adds 0.55 ± 0.02 Mg C ha )1 . Estimates suggest that EAM miombo woodlands store a range of 13–30 Mg ha )1 of carbon. Although the estimates suggest that miombo woodlands store significant quantities of carbon, caution is required as this is the first estimate based on in situ data.
Detecting and predicting forest degradation: a comparison of ground surveys and remote sensing in Tanzanian forests
(Plants, People, Planet (PPP), 2021-01-08) Ahrends, Antje; Bulling, Mark T.; Platts, Philip J.; Swetnam, Ruth; Ryan, Casey; Doggart, Nike; Hollingsworth, Peter M.; Marchant, Robert; Balmford, Andrew; Harris, David J.; Gross-Camp, Nicole; Sumbi, Peter; Munishi, Pantaleo; Madoffe, Seif; Mhoro, Boniface; Leonard, Charles; Bracebridge, Claire; Doody, Kathryn; Wilkins, Victoria; Owen, Nisha; Marshall, Andrew R.; Schaafsma, Marije; Pfliegner, Kerstin; Jones, Trevor; Robinson, James; Topp-Jørgensen, Elmer; Brink, Henry; Burgess, Neil D.
Tropical forest degradation is widely recognised as a driver of biodiversity loss and a major source of carbon emissions. However, in contrast to deforestation, more gradual changes from degradation are challenging to detect, quantify and monitor. Here, we present a field protocol for rapid, area-standardised quantifications of forest condition, which can also be implemented by non-specialists. Using the ex- ample of threatened high-biodiversity forests in Tanzania, we analyse and predict degradation based on this method. We also compare the field data to optical and radar remote-sensing datasets, thereby conducting a large-scale, independent test of the ability of these products to map degradation in East Africa from space. • Our field data consist of 551 ‘degradation’ transects collected between 1996 and 2010, covering >600 ha across 86 forests in the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests. • Degradation was widespread, with over one-third of the study forests—mostly protected areas—having more than 10% of their trees cut. Commonly used opti- cal remote-sensing maps of complete tree cover loss only detected severe im- pacts (≥25% of trees cut), that is, a focus on remotely-sensed deforestation would have significantly underestimated carbon emissions and declines in forest quality. Radar-based maps detected even low impacts (<5% of trees cut) in ~90% of cases. The field data additionally differentiated types and drivers of harvesting, with spa- tial patterns suggesting that logging and charcoal production were mainly driven by demand from major cities. • Rapid degradation surveys and radar remote sensing can provide an early warning and guide appropriate conservation and policy responses. This is particularly im- portant in areas where forest degradation is more widespread than deforestation, such as in eastern and southern Africa.
Getting ready for REDD+ in Tanzania: a case study of progress and challenges
(Fauna & Flora International, 2010) Dalsgaard, SØren; Funder, Mikkel; Hagelberg, Niklas; Harrison, Paul; Haule, Christognus; Kabalimu, Kekilia; Kilahama, Felician; Kilawe, Edward; Lewis, Simon L.; Lovett, Jon C.; Lyatuu, Gertrude; Marshall, Andrew R.; Meshack, Charles; Miles, Lera; Milledge, Simon A.H.; Munishi, Pantaleo K.T.; Nashanda, Evarist; Shirima, Deo; Swetnam, Ruth D.; Willcock, Simon; Williams, Andrew; Zahabu, Eliakim; Burgess, Neil D.; Bahane, Bruno; Clairs, Tim; Danielsen, Finn
The proposed mechanism for Reducing Emis- sions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) offers significant potential for conserving forests to reduce negative impacts of climate change. Tanzania is one of nine pilot countries for the United Nations REDD Pro- gramme, receives significant funding from the Norwegian, Finnish and German governments and is a participant in the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. In combination, these interventions aim to mitigate green-house gas emissions, provide an income to rural commu- nities and conserve biodiversity. The establishment of the UN-REDD Programme in Tanzania illustrates real-world challenges in a developing country. These include currently inadequate baseline forestry data sets (needed to calculate reference emission levels), inadequate government capacity and insufficient experience of implementing REDD+-type measures at operational levels. Additionally, for REDD+ to succeed, current users of forest resources must adopt new practices, including the equitable sharing of benefits that accrue from REDD+ implementation. These challenges are being addressed by combined donor support to im- plement a national forest inventory, remote sensing of forest cover, enhanced capacity for measuring, reporting and verification, and pilot projects to test REDD+ imple- mentation linked to the existing Participatory Forest Man- agement Programme. Our conclusion is that even in a country with considerable donor support, progressive forest policies, laws and regulations, an extensive network of managed forests and increasingly developed locally-based forest management approaches, implementing REDD+ pre- sents many challenges. These are being met by coordinated, genuine partnerships between government, non-government and community-based agencies.