The savannahs of Central Africa are proving to be a vital natural response to climate change
Two Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech researchers, Pr Tom De Mil and Basile Luse Belanganayi, have contributed to a pioneering study carried out in the Central Kongo province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The study highlights the essential role of nature-based solutions in mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss.
On January 24, 2024, scientists from Royal Museum for Central Africa,Ghent University; INERA (Institut National pour l'Étude et la Recherche Agronomiques) and Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (Université de Liège) revealed the remarkable potential of fire protection strategies in "unstable" artificial savannahs in work published in the journal Global Change Biology.
Key results:
- Carbon stock recovery: After 17 years of fire exclusion, surface carbon recovery averaged around 11 Mg C per hectare, with total recovery potential estimated after 115 years.
- Biodiversity: More than a third of the species richness of old-growth forests was recovered after 17 years, with an estimated full recovery potential after only 60 years. We observed a strong link between above-ground carbon stocks and species richness. However, recovery of the original species composition of old-growth forests is expected to take at least 120 years. This means that the number of tree species is increasing very rapidly, but it will be some time before the targeted old-growth species take over.
- Global impact: Extrapolating the results, it is estimated that unstable savannas across DR Congo, Congo and Angola could have a total carbon uptake potential of up to 12 Gt C by 2100.
Photo © Brice Djiofack
The study's lead author, Dr Brice Yannick Djiofack points out: "The relatively simple, low-cost approach of fire prevention in artificial savannahs is an effective natural solution for mitigating the impact of global change and combating biodiversity loss. It also offers a concrete opportunity to involve local communities and their traditional knowledge, while providing crucial scientific leverage for policy-makers to stimulate forest restoration initiatives across the Congo Basin."
Read more:
Protecting an artificial savanna as a nature-based solution to restore carbon and biodiversity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
