Recovery of conservation values in Central African rain forest after logging and shifting cultivation

Secondary forests in Central Africa are increasing in importance for biodiversity conservation as old growth forests outside the few protected areas are disappearing rapidly. We examined vegetation recovery in a lowland rain forest area in Cameroon based on a detailed botanical survey of old growth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biodiversity and conservation 2003-08, Vol.12 (8), p.1553-1553
Main Authors: Van Gemerden, Barend S, Shu, Gideon N, Olff, Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abandoned pastures
Biodiversity
Birds
chronosequence
Conservation
Cultivation
eastern amazonia
Endemic species
Endemism
Land use
Logging
Old growth
plant succession
Protected areas
Rain
Rainforests
Rare species
reserve
Shifting cultivation
Species composition
Species diversity
tree species-diversity
uganda
upper rio negro
Vegetation
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Summary:Secondary forests in Central Africa are increasing in importance for biodiversity conservation as old growth forests outside the few protected areas are disappearing rapidly. We examined vegetation recovery in a lowland rain forest area in Cameroon based on a detailed botanical survey of old growth forest and different-aged logging gaps (5-27 years) and shifting cultivation fields (10-60 years). Our analysis focuses on the long-term recovery of botanical conservation values by analysing trends in vegetation structure, species composition, species diversity and levels of endemism and rarity. In the total survey (4.25 ha), we recorded 834 species of which 23% were endemic to the Lower Guinea forest region. The proportion of endemic species was high in shrubs and low in herbs. Geographic range and (local) rarity were not significantly associated. The proportion of rare species (relative frequency
ISSN:0960-3115
1572-9710
DOI:10.1023/A:1023603813163