Savannas and Dry Forests Linking People with Nature [Hardcover]

Parched landscapes, biodiversity loss, encroaching deserts and deforestation are some of the environmental crises taking place in tropical savannas and dry forests throughout the world. To date, much research into these regions has treated humans as 'outside' or as an 'impact' only. However, over and over again, examples show that, in fact, humans are not external factors, but integral components of these systems. Humans are key determinants of savannas and dry forests, affecting patterns and processes, as well as impacts on natural resources. Unless we understand the human-environment relationship in these regions, we will never truly identify the causes or be able to provide solutions. This book therefore focuses on the roles of the past, present and future human perceptions and actions on savannas and dry forests. It examines how the views of local farmers, NGO workers, government officials and international scientists differ on the links between the social and ecological components of savannas. It deals with these multiple perspectives by using systems diagramming and conceptual modelling to provide a clearer and more explicit understanding and to promote better communication between the various actors concerned.Contents: Introduction, Jayalaxshmi Mistry and Andrea Berardi; Framing field expansion strategies in the savanna biome - land use and land cover dynamics in and around Tiogo Forest Reserve, Burkina Faso, D. Andrew Wardell and Anette Reenberg; Trends, cycles and entry points in the dry forest landscapes of southern Honduras and coastal Oaxaca, Adrian Barrance, Jamie Gordon and Kate Schreckenberg; Ecosystem dynamics and institutional inertia: a discussion of landscape conservation in northern Tanzania, Jim Igoe; Assessing 'overgrazing' in savannas, Richard Smith; Fire management for biological conservation in the Brazilian cerrado, V??nia R. Pivello; Managing a burned mosaic: a landscape-scale human ecological model of savanna fires in Mali, Paul Laris; Sls2