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Keywords:

Deforestation, Forest degradation, Drivers, Community-managed forest, Senegal

Local Perception of Vegetation Dynamics and Its Drivers in Community-Managed Forest: A Case Study from Senegal

Authors

Laurice Codou Faye1 | Lawrence Damnyag2 | Simon Sambou3 | Boateng Kyereh4
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal 1 Forest Research Institute of Ghana 2 Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal 3 Department of Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi Ghana 4

Abstract

Knowledge on deforestation and forest degradation (DFD) in managed forest is widely available. However, the way local people perceive DFD and its drivers are not well understood. This study aimed at assessing local perception of vegetation dynamics and factors driving DFD in a community-managed forest. Data were collected by means of interviews conducted with 136 respondents from 5 communities. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the data. The results show that 67% of respondents perceived DFD to be occurring in the forest. The perception of the level of forest degradation among the age groups in the communities was significantly related. The tree species cited as declining were those used for fuelwood and food as well as (Sterculia setigera Delile and Parkia biglobosa Jacq. R. Br. ex G. Don) and species of high timber value (Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir and Cordyla pinnata Lepr. ex A. Rich). An overlapping was found between local estimate of species decline and those found to be decreasing with vegetation inventory confirming the reliability of local knowledge. Charcoal production, bush fire, seasonal migration of cattle, and illegal logging, were identified as the main drivers of vegetation dynamics by more than 50% of the respondents. Main economic activities and community location significantly affected the ranking of the perceived drivers of vegetation dynamics, while age group did not.

Article Details

Published

2022-10-13

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Local Perception of Vegetation Dynamics and Its Drivers in Community-Managed Forest: A Case Study from Senegal. (2022). Research and Analysis Journal, 5(10), 01-10. https://doi.org/10.18535/raj.v5i10.351