Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro
Abstract Cloud forests are of great importance in the hydrological functioning of watersheds in subhumid East Africa. However, the montane forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro are heavily threatened by global change impacts. Based on an evaluation of over 1500 vegetation plots and interpretation of satellite...
Published in: | African Journal of Ecology |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2009
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x |
id |
crwiley:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x 2024-09-15T18:11:47+00:00 Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro Hemp, Andreas 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor African Journal of Ecology volume 47, issue s1, page 3-10 ISSN 0141-6707 1365-2028 journal-article 2009 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x 2024-07-23T04:13:08Z Abstract Cloud forests are of great importance in the hydrological functioning of watersheds in subhumid East Africa. However, the montane forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro are heavily threatened by global change impacts. Based on an evaluation of over 1500 vegetation plots and interpretation of satellite imagery from 1976 and 2000, land‐cover changes on Kilimanjaro were evaluated and their impact on the water balance estimated. While the vanishing glaciers of Kilimanjaro attract broad interest, the associated increase of frequency and intensity of fires on the slopes of Kilimanjaro is less conspicuous but ecologically far more significant. These climate change‐induced fires have lead to changes in species composition and structure of the forests and to a downward shift of the upper forest line by several hundred metres. During the last 70 years, Kilimanjaro has lost nearly one‐third of its forest cover, in the upper areas caused by fire, on the lower forest border mainly caused by clearing. The loss of 150 km 2 of cloud forest – the most effective source in the upper montane and subalpine fog interception zone – caused by fire during the last three decades means a considerable reduction in water yield. In contrast to common belief, global warming does not necessarily cause upward migration of plants and animals. On Kilimanjaro the opposite trend is under way, with consequences more harmful than those due to the loss of the showy ice cap of Africa’s highest mountain. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice cap Wiley Online Library African Journal of Ecology 47 s1 3 10 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Cloud forests are of great importance in the hydrological functioning of watersheds in subhumid East Africa. However, the montane forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro are heavily threatened by global change impacts. Based on an evaluation of over 1500 vegetation plots and interpretation of satellite imagery from 1976 and 2000, land‐cover changes on Kilimanjaro were evaluated and their impact on the water balance estimated. While the vanishing glaciers of Kilimanjaro attract broad interest, the associated increase of frequency and intensity of fires on the slopes of Kilimanjaro is less conspicuous but ecologically far more significant. These climate change‐induced fires have lead to changes in species composition and structure of the forests and to a downward shift of the upper forest line by several hundred metres. During the last 70 years, Kilimanjaro has lost nearly one‐third of its forest cover, in the upper areas caused by fire, on the lower forest border mainly caused by clearing. The loss of 150 km 2 of cloud forest – the most effective source in the upper montane and subalpine fog interception zone – caused by fire during the last three decades means a considerable reduction in water yield. In contrast to common belief, global warming does not necessarily cause upward migration of plants and animals. On Kilimanjaro the opposite trend is under way, with consequences more harmful than those due to the loss of the showy ice cap of Africa’s highest mountain. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hemp, Andreas |
spellingShingle |
Hemp, Andreas Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
author_facet |
Hemp, Andreas |
author_sort |
Hemp, Andreas |
title |
Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
title_short |
Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
title_full |
Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
title_fullStr |
Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
title_full_unstemmed |
Climate change and its impact on the forests of Kilimanjaro |
title_sort |
climate change and its impact on the forests of kilimanjaro |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2028.2008.01043.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x |
genre |
Ice cap |
genre_facet |
Ice cap |
op_source |
African Journal of Ecology volume 47, issue s1, page 3-10 ISSN 0141-6707 1365-2028 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.01043.x |
container_title |
African Journal of Ecology |
container_volume |
47 |
container_issue |
s1 |
container_start_page |
3 |
op_container_end_page |
10 |
_version_ |
1810449357713965056 |