What is it about?
In Kenya, riverside forests create a microclimate that enables high biodiversity and that break the monotony of sun-baking savannahs. Local changes in stream hydrology impact the type of species found and the width of the vegetated belt along rivers. Forest degradation and water abstraction modify the microclimate and contribute to temperature increase. Such effects are understimated by the dominant climate change C-narrative.
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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Why is it important?
East African riverside forests shelter a high proportion of the catchment's biodiversity, and it is important to interpret its composition and its spatial and temporal pattern, in response to local and global climate changes. We found sharp changes in species composition when moving away from the river edge, a transgression to lower elevation by mountain forest species that took advantage of the riverine microclimate, an invasion by savannah species in places where the forest was degraded, and few remaining large riverine trees documenting the former existence of a riverine floodplain forest. These patterns are common to most riverine forests in the globe and are particularly visible in East Africa because of moderate seasonal change.
Perspectives
My hope is that, while reading this article, people will perceive the linkage between a detailed observation of the vegetation at field scale, the longitudinal and 'sideways' change in species assemblage, and its interpretation. This should create a more realistic perspective of what should be considered local change, caused by recent landuse, and what could be attributed to global change, caused by an increase in greenhouse gases. We should avoid calling in global climate change as an excuse to mask local scale responsibilities.
Nic PACINI
University of Calabria
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Linking Hydrology to Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Climate within the Lake Naivasha Catchment, June 2024, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004695429_007.
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