Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration

Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted for restoration beyond its original range in the Sahel. FMNR involves farmers selecting and managing natural regeneration on their fields, while keeping them under the primary function of agricultural production. However, little is known a...

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Main Authors: Lohbeck, M., Albers, P., Boels, L.E., Bongers, F., Morel, S., Sinclair, Fergus L., Takoutsing, B., Vågen, Tor-Gunnar, Winowiecki, Leigh Ann, Smith-Dumont, E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114456
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author Lohbeck, M.
Albers, P.
Boels, L.E.
Bongers, F.
Morel, S.
Sinclair, Fergus L.
Takoutsing, B.
Vågen, Tor-Gunnar
Winowiecki, Leigh Ann
Smith-Dumont, E.
author_browse Albers, P.
Boels, L.E.
Bongers, F.
Lohbeck, M.
Morel, S.
Sinclair, Fergus L.
Smith-Dumont, E.
Takoutsing, B.
Vågen, Tor-Gunnar
Winowiecki, Leigh Ann
author_facet Lohbeck, M.
Albers, P.
Boels, L.E.
Bongers, F.
Morel, S.
Sinclair, Fergus L.
Takoutsing, B.
Vågen, Tor-Gunnar
Winowiecki, Leigh Ann
Smith-Dumont, E.
author_sort Lohbeck, M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted for restoration beyond its original range in the Sahel. FMNR involves farmers selecting and managing natural regeneration on their fields, while keeping them under the primary function of agricultural production. However, little is known about what regenerates in different contexts, even though this underlies potential restoration impact. Here we assess how human impact, land degradation and dispersal limitation affect structural and functional properties of regeneration across 316 plots in agroforestry parklands of Ghana and Burkina Faso. We found that intensity of land use (grazing and agricultural practices) and dispersal limitation inhibited regeneration, while land degradation did not. Functional composition of regenerating communities shifted towards shorter statured, small-seeded and conservative strategies with intensity of land use. We conclude that the presence of trees of desired species in the vicinity is a precondition for successfully implementing FMNR for restoration, and that regeneration needs to be protected from grazing. Assessment of regeneration potential is imperative for scaling out FMNR and where natural regeneration will be insufficient to achieve restoration targets, FMNR needs to be complemented with tree planting.
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spelling CGSpace1144562024-01-17T12:58:34Z Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration Lohbeck, M. Albers, P. Boels, L.E. Bongers, F. Morel, S. Sinclair, Fergus L. Takoutsing, B. Vågen, Tor-Gunnar Winowiecki, Leigh Ann Smith-Dumont, E. natural regeneration ecological restoration agricultural production agroecology Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted for restoration beyond its original range in the Sahel. FMNR involves farmers selecting and managing natural regeneration on their fields, while keeping them under the primary function of agricultural production. However, little is known about what regenerates in different contexts, even though this underlies potential restoration impact. Here we assess how human impact, land degradation and dispersal limitation affect structural and functional properties of regeneration across 316 plots in agroforestry parklands of Ghana and Burkina Faso. We found that intensity of land use (grazing and agricultural practices) and dispersal limitation inhibited regeneration, while land degradation did not. Functional composition of regenerating communities shifted towards shorter statured, small-seeded and conservative strategies with intensity of land use. We conclude that the presence of trees of desired species in the vicinity is a precondition for successfully implementing FMNR for restoration, and that regeneration needs to be protected from grazing. Assessment of regeneration potential is imperative for scaling out FMNR and where natural regeneration will be insufficient to achieve restoration targets, FMNR needs to be complemented with tree planting. 2020-09-14 2020-09-29T08:15:20Z 2020-09-29T08:15:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114456 en Open Access Springer Lohbeck, M., Albers, P., Boels, L.E., Bongers, F., Morel, S., Sinclair, F., Takoutsing, B., Vågen, T.-G., Winowiecki, L.A. and Smith-Dumont, E. 2020. Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration. Scientific Reports 10(1): 15038. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70746-z
spellingShingle natural regeneration
ecological restoration
agricultural production
agroecology
Lohbeck, M.
Albers, P.
Boels, L.E.
Bongers, F.
Morel, S.
Sinclair, Fergus L.
Takoutsing, B.
Vågen, Tor-Gunnar
Winowiecki, Leigh Ann
Smith-Dumont, E.
Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title_full Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title_fullStr Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title_full_unstemmed Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title_short Drivers of farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel. Lessons for restoration
title_sort drivers of farmer managed natural regeneration in the sahel lessons for restoration
topic natural regeneration
ecological restoration
agricultural production
agroecology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114456
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