Carbon sequestration in dryland ecosystems of West Asia and North Africa

The West Asia–North Africa (WANA) region has a land area of 1.7 billion ha, and a population of 600 million. Desertification and soil degradation are severe problems in the region. The problem of drought stress is exacerbated by low and erratic rainfall and soils of limited available water holding capacity and soil organic carbon (SOC) content of less than 0.5 per cent. The SOC pool of most soils has been depleted by soil degradation and widespread use of subsistence and exploitative farming systems. The historic loss of a SOC pool for the soils of the WANA region may be 6–12 Pg compared with the global loss of 66–90 Pg. Assuming that 60 per cent of the historic loss can be resequestered, the total soil‐C sink capacity of the WANA region may be 3–7 Pg. This potential may be realized through adoption of measures to control desertification, restore degraded soils and ecosystems, and improve soil and crop management techniques that can enhance the SOC pool and improve soil quality. The strategies of soil‐C sequestration include integrated nutrient management (INM) and recycling, controlled grazing, and growing improved fodder species on rangeland. Improved technologies for cropland include use of INM and biofertilizers, appropriate tillage methods and residue management techniques, crop rotations and cover crops, and water and nutrient recycling technologies. Through adoption of such measures, the potential of soil‐C sequestration in the WANA region is 0.2–0.4 Pg C yr⁻¹. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gleaner,fisher, trader,processor: understanding gendered employment in fisheries and aquaculture

Most research on gender difference or inequities in capture fisheries and aquaculture in Africa and the Asia‐Pacific focuses on the gender division of labour. Emerging research on globalization, market changes, poverty and trends in gendered employment within this sector reveals the need to move beyond this narrow perspective. If gleaning and post‐harvesting activities were enumerated, the fisheries and aquaculture sector might well turn out to be female sphere. A livelihoods approach better enables an understanding of how employment in this sector is embedded in other social, cultural, economic, political and ecological structures and processes that shape gender inequities and how these might be reduced. We focus on four thematic areas – markets and migration, capabilities and well‐being, networks and identities, governance and rights – as analytical entry points. These also provide a framework to identify research gaps and generate a comparative understanding of the impact of development processes and socioecological changes, including issues of climate change, adaptation and resilience, on gendered employment. Without an adequate analysis of gender, fisheries management and development policies may have negative effects on people’s livelihoods, well‐being and the environment they depend on, or fail altogether to achieve intended outcomes.     

浙江舟山水产业投资非洲之策略研究

在全球金融危机背景下,各国纷纷采取措施甚至贸易保护主义措施来拯救本国经济,贸易保护主义浪潮再次高涨。我国水产品出口遭受了更加苛刻的贸易壁垒,作为水产品出口主要区域浙江舟山面临着严峻的挑战。伴随着国家“走出去”政策的提出,加上主要出口国市场严峻形势,本地资源捉襟见肘,舟山水产业积极走进非洲。文章从宏观和微观角度分析了浙江舟山水产业走进非洲,尝试为舟山水产业走进非洲提出发展性建议。     

Options for increasing carbon sequestration in West African soils: an exploratory study with special focus on Senegal

The organic matter content of many soils in West Africa has been depleted due to overgrazing, agricultural mismanagement, deforestation and overexploitation of the natural resources. Degraded agro(eco)systems can be managed to increase carbon sinks in vegetation and soil, and to reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere. The capacity for sequestering carbon will increase as annual precipitation increases, and generally as mean temperature decreases, provided the soil and terrain conditions are not limiting for crop (biomass) growth. The agroecological suitability of three pilot sites, proposed for soil carbon sequestration projects in Senegal, is assessed and the feasibility of various management options to increase organic carbon levels in the soil is discussed. For the future, a Land Resources Information System should be developed to consider detailed data on climate, soil and terrain conditions, status of soil degradation, and land‐use systems for West Africa. Upon its linkage to a dynamic soil carbon model and a socio‐economic module, such an integrated system can be used to assess the ecotechnological and socio‐economic potential for carbon sequestration projects in the context of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) proposed under article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. If adopted, this mechanism could confer funds to West African countries for the sustainable use and conservation of their natural resources, thereby providing economic, environmental and societal benefits for local populations, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国与非洲农产品贸易虚拟水流动及节水效应研究

虚拟水贸易作为一种调节工具,已成为水资源紧缺国家或地区增加本国或本地虚拟水、平衡区域水资源、缓解国家和地区的水资源短缺状况、保障本国或区域的水资源安全与粮食安全的重要手段之一。利用2003-2012年中国与非洲各国农产品贸易数据计算了中非农产品虚拟水流特征及其节水效应。结果表明,2003-2012年中国从非洲进口虚拟水总量为769.71×10⁸ m³,向非洲出口虚拟水总量为427.27×10⁸ m³,总体表现为虚拟水净进口。中国进口的虚拟水主要来源于莫桑比克、南非、布基纳法索、贝宁及马里等国家;中国出口的虚拟水主要流向南非、摩洛哥和科特迪瓦等国。中国虚拟水进口的农产品种类主要为棉花和果品等;而出口虚拟水产品主要为茶叶,其次是谷物和畜产品。中非虚拟水净贸易表现为水资源利用效率低的地区输向水资源利用效率高的地区,中非农产品贸易虚拟水为双方农产品消费需求和水资源保障提供支撑,却在全球尺度上造成年均5.91×10⁸ m³水资源的浪费,从全球水资源的高效利用角度看是不可持续的。     

Nesting ecology of Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca in north-eastern Algeria

The status of waterbirds breeding in protected areas in North Africa needs constant monitoring because of a naturally fluctuating environment and permissive attitudes towards illegal activities likely to negatively affect population dynamics of threatened species. We present the results of a study conducted at a protected site, Lake Tonga, north-eastern Algeria, on a breeding population of Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, a Near-Threatened duck subjected to considerable pressure from egg-pilfering and illegal hunting. Two distinct habitats within the lake were used by Ferruginous Duck: an Alder carr (Alnus glutinosa) and floating islets across the lake. The mean clutch size was 9.51±1.84 eggs (N = 51 clutches) with hatching rate of 80.7% for successful clutches. Breeding success was low (37%) with predation (33%) and clutch desertion (17%) accounting for the majority of failed nests. The probabilities of nest failure and nest desertion increased with a delayed onset of egg laying. Predation was not significantly associated with egg laying date and vegetation cover, but late breeders nesting in dense vegetation seemed to suffer less predation. Conspecific brood parasitism was positively associated with nest size, whereas interspecific brood parasitism was marginally associated with water depth. We discuss different hypotheses concerning nest desertion, and argue that illegal hunting and disturbance may best explain why birds desert their nests.     

Phylogeography of North African Amietophrynus xeros estimated from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Amietophrynus xeros was sequenced for part of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial region to assess genetic diversity between populations from Niger, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Tanzania. Although populations are currently unconnected, diversity within the Sahel region was relatively low, indicating that the species only expanded into this region relatively recently, perhaps after the last glacial maximum. Diversity was higher between samples from Tanzania. Some individuals of two species from previously published studies, A. garmani and A. gutturalis, share haplotypes with A. xeros, but this is likely to be due to error, possibly misidentifica-tion. Similar errors appear to exist in published studies of other North African Amietophrynusspecies such as A. regularis.     

非洲藤(Palmae calamoideae)的两个新种

藤类广泛分布于非洲大陆热带森林的低地上,对区域林业经济发挥着重要作用。在非洲分布的20种之中有6种已被用于商业资源开发。尽管非洲藤类的经济价值很高,但至今对它们的分类仍不太确定。本文描述了单苞藤属和肿胀藤属的2个新种,分别从分类学、形态学、特征、生物学特性、保护和利用等方面做了研究。     

Mangrove species zonation and soil redox state,sulphide concentration and salinity in Gazi Bay (Kenya), a preliminary study

The relationship between soil redox state, sulphide concentration, salinity and spatial patterns of mangrove species distribution was investigated in the mangrove forest of Gazi Bay (Kenya). Field measurements were conducted to examine the relationship between species distribution along a band transect of 280m and soil redox potential (Eh) and sulphide patterns, as well as the indirectly related (through flooding regimes) soil salinity. Of the three major species Avicenniamarina, Ceriops tagal and Rhizophoramucronata present along the transect, only the distribution of the latter correlated with the measured soil variables, R. mucronata being absent from the lessreduced zone with high salinity. Bruguieragymnorhiza and Heritieralittoralis occur in minor populations, they are restricted to the saline, sulphidepoor and lessreduced substrates. From the results it is concluded that soil redox potential (Eh), sulphide concentration and salinity may contribute to structure mangroves through the distribution of dominant species, however in combination with other environmental conditions and processes of vegetation dynamics.     

Karité (Vitellaria paradoxa) and néré (Parkia biglobosa) associated with crops in South Mali

The effect of two tree species, karité (Vitellaria paradoxa) and néré (Parkia biglobosa) on soil condition, development and production of cotton, sorghum and pearl millet, main crops in South Mali, has been investigated.The soil under the trees is slightly richer (organic matter content and several cations) compared to adjacent tree-less sites. Also tree-specific effects exist.Soil enrichment, however, is mainly a matter of redistribution of locally available nutrient resources.Of the six associations studied, only karité-cotton shows no tree-induced reduction in crop production. All other associations suffer greatly from reduced crop outputs caused by the trees, usually in the order of 60%.There are at least two reasons that explain tree-induced yield reduction. Because of increased humidity in the immediate surroundings of trees, in both soil and air, lower numbers of crop plants survive up to maturity, presumably because plants are attacked by fungi. Secondly, crop plants that mature show reduced output because of inter-specific competition for light and nutrients.In case of néré, in order to minimize the trees' negative influence lopping is advised. Such practice, however, is less suitable in case of karité, because of its assumed lower potential to regenerate, as compared to néré.