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African forest maps reveal areas vulnerable to the effects of climate change

An analysis of six million trees reveals spatial patterns in the vulnerability of Central African rainforests to climate change and human activities. The maps generated could be used to guide targeted actions across national boundaries.
  1. Marion Pfeifer

    1. Marion Pfeifer is at the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK.

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  2. Deo D. Shirima

    1. Deo D. Shirima is in the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation and at the National Carbon Monitoring Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, PO Box 3010, Tanzania.

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Preserving the biodiversity of rainforests, and limiting the effects of climate change on them, are global challenges that are recognized in international policy agreements and commitments1. The Central African rainforests are the second largest area of continuous rainforest in the world, after the Amazon rainforest. They store more carbon per hectare than does the Amazon and, on average, have a higher density of large trees2 than does any other continent — a feature attributed to the effects of big herbivores, particularly elephants, on the competition between trees for light, water and space3. Human activities, notably logging and over-hunting, facilitated by an expanding road network4, pose a serious threat to Central African rainforests and their value for society5.

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Nature 593, 42-43 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00978-0

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