Current issue: 58(4)

Scopus CiteScore 2023: 3.5
Scopus ranking of open access forestry journals: 17th
PlanS compliant
Select issue
Silva Fennica 1926-1997
1990-1997
1980-1989
1970-1979
1960-1969
Acta Forestalia Fennica
1953-1968
1933-1952
1913-1932

Articles containing the keyword 'protected areas network'

Category : Research article

article id 23009, category Research article
Abubakari H. Munna, Nyambilila A. Amuri, Proches Hieronimo, Dino A. Woiso. (2023). Modelling ecological niches of Sclerocarya birrea subspecies in Tanzania under the current and future climates. Silva Fennica vol. 57 no. 3 article id 23009. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.23009
Keywords: climate change; conservation; GIS; agroforestry; domestication; MaxEnt; protected areas network
Highlights: Tanzania harbors ecological niches of Sclerocarya birrea (S. birrea) subsp. caffra, multifoliata and birrea in the eastern, southern-central-northern, and northeastern part of the country, covering 184 814 km2, 139 918 km2 and 28 446 km2 of Tanzania’s land area, respectively; Ecological niches will contract under future warming climates; Currently, significant parts of ecological niches for Sclerocarya birrea subspecies are beyond Tanzania’s protected areas network.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The information on ecological niches of the Marula tree, Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Horchst. subspecies are needed for sustainable management of this tree, considering its nutritional, economic, and ecological benefits. However, despite Tanzania being regarded as a global genetic center of diversity of S. birrea, information on the subspecies ecological niches is lacking. We aimed to model ecological niches of S. birrea subspecies in Tanzania under the current and future climates. Ecological niches under the current climate were modelled by using ecological niche models in MaxEnt using climatic, edaphic, and topographical variables, and subspecies occurrence data. The Hadley Climate Center and National Center for Atmospheric Research's Earth System Models were used to predict ecological niches under the medium and high greenhouse gases emission scenarios for the years 2050 and 2080. Area under the curves (AUCs) were used to assess the accuracy of the models. The results show that the models were robust, with AUCs of 0.85–0.95. Annual and seasonal precipitation, elevation, and soil cation exchange capacity are the key environmental factors that define the ecological niches of the S. birrea subspecies. Ecological niches of subsp. caffra, multifoliata, and birrea are currently found in 30, 22, and 21 regions, and occupy 184 814 km2, 139 918 km2, and 28 446 km2 of Tanzania's land area respectively, which will contract by 0.4–44% due to climate change. Currently, 31–51% of ecological niches are under Tanzania’s protected areas network. The findings are important in guiding the development of conservation and domestication strategies for the S. birrea subspecies in Tanzania.
  • Munna, Department of Soil and Geological Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3008, Morogoro, Tanzania ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8858-0457 E-mail: amabmunna81@gmail.com (email)
  • Amuri, Department of Soil and Geological Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3008, Morogoro, Tanzania ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3092-3458 E-mail: namuri@sua.ac.tz
  • Hieronimo, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3003 Morogoro, Tanzania ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4450-5073 E-mail: phmusigula@gmail.com
  • Woiso, Department of Biosciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3038 Morogoro, Tanzania E-mail: dino@sua.ac.tz

Register
Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.
Log in
If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.
Contents alert
Sign up to receive alerts of new content
Your selected articles