The Rainforests of West Africa

Transcription

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2 Claude Martin The Rainforests of West Africa Ecology- Threats- Conservation English Translation by Linda Tsardakas Springer Basel AG

3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Martin, Claude: [Regenwälder Westafrikas. English] The Rainforests of West Africa : ecology- threats- conservation I Claude Martin ; English translation by Linda Tsardakas. p. cm. Translated from the German. lncludes bibliographical references and index. ISBN Rain forests-africa, West. 2. Rain forest ecology-africa, West. 3. Forests and forestry-africa, West. 4. Forest conservation-africa, West. I. Title. QH195.W46M '0966-dc20 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically those of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, broadcasting, reproduction by photocopying machine or similar means, and storage in data banks. Under the German Copyright Law, where copies are made for other than private use, a fee is payable to 'Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort', Munich. Deutsche Bibliothek Cataloging-in-Publication Data Martin, Claude: The Rainforests of Westafrica : ecology - threats - conservation I Claude Martin. English transl. by Linda Tsardakas. Dt. Ausg. u.d.t.: Martin, Claude: Die Regenwälder Westafrikas ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Springer Basel AG Originally published by BirkhäuserVerlag, in 1991 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1991 Book Design: Albert Gomm swblasg, Basel ISBN

4 Preface Nowhere eise in the world did industrialized countries leave such early marks in the rainforest as in West Africa. Past and present developments here are in one way or the other significant for rainforests on other continents as weil. West Africa is a pioneer in both a good and a bad sense. This is reason enough to take a closer Iook at the history of moist tropical West Africa. Until recently, no one really seemed to be interested in the rainforests except for a few specialists. The world's scientific community neglected to study the incalculable riches of tropical forests, to make the public aware of them and their due importance. Although interdisciplinary research has been a popular topic for some decades now, it was not applied to just the most complex habitat on earth. Scientists from all fields studied only that which was easiest to record, seemingly blind to a myriad of details awaiting closer examination. Botanists wentabout establishing their herbariums and paid much too little attention to the vegetation as a whole, or to the significance of useful plants for local populations. Zoologists, too, busied themselves with collecting and describing species. Anthropologists, on the other hand, tended to overlook faunal details: in their ignorance of the animal world, they wrote of tigers and deer in Africa. And finally, foresters saw neither the forest nor the trees for the timber - and even confused rainforests with monocultures of fir trees. They overlooked the significance of collectable forest products and wildlife as they still do today. The destruction of tropical rainforests is not a problern due only to a Iust for profit and land. lt is just as much the consequence of a scientific community's neglect. Scientists have not yet even set priorities for research, Iet alone developed methods capable of functioning in the canopies of the rainforest. The industrialized world should therefore not be surprised at the fate of tropical rainforests. We have done little to conserve them and all the more to destroy them. And it is the forest people who have suffered along the way, their needs have been entirely ignored. Almost nowhere is their culture given the respect it deserves. ln this book, I have da red to attempt an integral presentation of West African rainforests: I have gathered old and new knowledge- from biology to forest utilization and the cultural background to forest conservation. And in spite of the years and days I personally spent in these forests, I am aware that I can give only a partial picture. Nevertheless, if this book can convey a feeling for and an understanding of the rainforest as a whole, if it can contribute to the conservation of these forests, then it has fulfilled its purpose. Summer 1990 C. Martin

5 Salvation or sacrifice for the rainforest? As in other West African countries, forest reserves were established in Ghana early in this century (green areas). Forest-dwelling people were largely deprived of their traditional rights to land-use. The reserves were henceforth meant to ensure the production of tropical timber.

6 Contents 11 Europe Casts lts Speil Upon the 67 A Diversity of Plant Life on Poor Soil Rainforest 67 Are African Rainforests Inferior? 13 A Source of Raw Materials for 500 Years 70 Diversity and lts Surprises 14 The Beginning of Commercial Exploitation 72 Recycling Nutrients 18 Early Attempts at Conservation: Theory 72 Rapid Decay 19 Reality: Forest lnhabitants Resist 74 Complete Absorbtion of Nutrients 21 The Consequences of Centralization 76 Life in Eternal Twilight 22 Large-scale Exploitation and the 78 Trees - The Giants of the Forest Consequences 81 ldentifying Tree Species Can Be Puzzling 83 Flushing Leaves 27 The Distribution of West African 83 The Phenology of Rainforest Trees Rainforests 84 Adept Climbers 28 What is Rainforest? of the Forest 30 Area Estimates of Rainforest in Africa 86 Humus in the Tree Tops and the Stranglers 32 Official Forest Assessment 91 Little-known Rainforest Fauna 34 A Belt of Rainforest across Nine Countries 36 The Refuge Theory 93 Variety in the Tree Tops 38 Centers of Endemism 94 Astounding lnsect World 42 The Evolution of Rainforest Species 96 Fish on the Ground, Frogs in the Trees 99 The Frightful Reptiles of the Forest 47 Climate and Soil Determine 103 A Random Selection of Birds Forest Type 106 Discovering West African Mammals 108 The Diversity and Biomass of Mammals 47 A Comfortable Climate - in the Forest 49 A Lot of Rain - Unevenly Distributed 110 Ecological Niches in Undisturbed and 53 Wet and Dry Seasons Disturbed Forest 53 Yellow and Red Soil upon Ancient Rock 56 The Result: Different Types of Rainforest 113 Avoiding Competition 57 Rainforest Types in Ghana 114 Different Methods of Spacial Utilization 58 Comparable Types of Rainforest Elsewhere 115 Studies of Sympatric Monkey Species 119 Spacial Organization of Primates in the Crown Canopy

7 123 Nut-cracking Chimpanzees 183 Sacrificing Forest for Short-term Gain 125 The Effect of Timber Exploitation on Rainforest Fauna 188 The Consequences of Selective Exploitation 127 Lower Monkey Diversity in Secondary Forest 189 The Forestry Crisis 129 Commercial Timber is Monkey Food 190 Tropical Foresters under Attack 129 The Fauna of Secondary Vegetation 191 Endangered Forest Reserves 131 The lnhabitants of "Farmbush" 193 The Rise and Fall of Timber Export 132 The Forest Buffalo Moves ln 194 Selling Out Ghana's Forests 197 Attempts at Rectifying Ghana's 135 The Coevolution of Plants and Timber lndustry Animals 197 Overexploitation in the C6te d'lvoire 198 The Legacy of Colonial Power 136 Plant - Ant Relationships 200 The Same Mistakes in Central Africa? 137 Ant-Trees 139 Seed Dispersal Systems 203 Forest Conservation Past and Present 140 Seed Dispersers in the Canopy 141 Seed Dispersal by Ungulates and Rodents 205 From Hunting Bans to Agroforestry 142 Coevolution between Plants and 207 International Efforts Seed Dispersers? 207 Budowski's Principles of Forest Conservation 144 Forest Elephants and Seed Dispersal 209 Rainforest National Parks in West Africa 145 Forest Elephants or Pygmy Elephants? 212 Threats to National Parks in the C6te d'lvoire 147 Varying Populations of Forest Elephants and Ghana 148 Opportunistic Feeding Patterns 214 Planning Sapo National Park 151 Elephant Paths Lead to Fruit Trees 216 Preserving the Balance in Korup 153 Fruit Attracts Elephants 216 Lessons for the Future 154 lncidents on Plantations 155 No Elephants - No Makore 219 References 159 The Forest As Human Habitat 224 Annexes 160 "Secondary" Forest Utilization 227 Index of Authors Cited 163 Old Knowledge - New Science 163 A Pharmacy in the Forest 228 Subject Index 165 Trade in Secondary Forest Products 167 The Oil Palm Conquers the World 234 Index of Photos and Figures 169 The Economic Value of Traditional Hunting 171 Hunting Tabaas and Varied Prey 171 Bushmeat- An lnvaluable Resource 174 Game Guarantees Locallncome 177 The Great Demand for Giant Snails 179 Misunderstanding Forest Products