Nicholas Moret

• Science Policy
• Governance
• Environmental and climate change
• Ecosystem services
• Sustainable use of natural resources
• Biodiversity

• Burkina Faso
• Ghana

WASCAL

BMBF

Status of biodiversity as an indicator of ecosystem resilience in West Africa

West African ecosystems are of great ecological value but are put in jeopardy by inappropriate land management and climate change variability. In the frame of the WASCAL research program, this work intends to measure the status of plant biodiversity at landscape level and assess the resilience of directly related ecosystems functions: micro-climate regulation, pollination and pest-control. Spatial distribution of plant species richness will be statistically modeled using different distribution models. GIS analysis of land cover information derived from remote sensing will provide actual habitat status (patchiness, fragmentation, degree of conversion). Field data (micro-climatic variation, soil carbon content) will be used as indicators of biodiversity related ecosystem functions. The final aim is a spatially explicit assessment of relevant ecosystem functions based on biodiversity status and vulnerability. Testing the prospective model under different land use scenarios and various climate change projections will provide recommendation basis for adaptation measures. Combined with results from other WASCAL research groups, our findings are expected to strengthen the resilience analysis of socio-ecological systems in West Africa.

Prof. Dr. Maximilian Weigend & Prof. Dr. Christian Borgemeister

Dr. Jan Henning Sommer