Side Event
"BIOTA-Africa: Research for conservation and management of biodiversity in Africa"
Organizer
PT-DLR Funding Agency of BMBF (BMBF=German Federal Ministry of Education and Research)
Date and Time
22 March 2006 13:15 - 15:0
BIOTA-Africa presents: www.biota-africa.org "Research for conservation and regeneration of biodiversity in Africa" Speaker 1: Dr. Karen Hahn-Hadjali (University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany) Speaker 2: Dr. Souleymane Konaté (University of Abobo-Adjamé, Abidjan, Côte d´Ivoire) Speaker 3: Wolfgang Küper (University of Bonn, Germany) Speaker 4: Prof. Dr. Brice Sinsin (University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin) Soil degradation is a serious problem in the tropics. In two examples out of the framework of the BIOTA-West project successful methods of soil restoration and regeneration of ecosystems and their biodiversity will be presented. Dr. Hahn-Hadjali will introduce the method of deep ploughing to destroy the soil crust combined with planting of saplings of endemic pioneer tree species and detail additional measurements for improving regeneration. Dr. Konaté will give an account on the Zaï-system. This traditional agricultural system uses termites to improve agricultural productivity by altering soil characteristics like water holding capacity, porosity and nutrient contents to improve harvests. Wolfgang Küper will present methods and results of gap analyses for detecting hitherto unprotected areas that urgently deserve conservation actions. By combining taxon specific diversity data with climate, orographic and habitat data and the human footprint, future scenarios of climate and land use changes can be modelled and recommendations for a lasting protection of biodiversity be made. Prof. Brice Sinsin is the locally responsible scientist for the research activities in Pendjari NP in the framework of BIOTA-West and also the IUCN vice president for the National Parks in West - and Central Africa. Thus, he is especially suited to transmit to convey the general ideas and problems of the management of protected areas on the international level, and also the direct and practical implementation of results of the BIOTA-West research in the Pendjari NP in Benin. . BIOTA-West is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (http://www.biota-africa.org/1024/biota_west_english/structure_west.htm) .