Biodiversity of West African Forests: An Ecological Atlas of Woody Plant Species
Edited by L Poorter, Wageningen University, The Netherlands; F Bongers, Wageningen University, The Netherlands; F N Kouamι, University of Cocody, Cotι d'Ivoire; W D Hawthorne, Oxford Forestry Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Pub Date: January 2004
Hardback
528 pages
Readership
This book will appeal to researchers working in forestry, biodiversity, plant ecology and conservation.
Key Features
• Includes an atlas with ecological profiles of 280 rare plant species and 56 large timber species
• Each species profile has a one-page entry including a colour photograph and distribution map
• Background chapters review the nature and diversity of the forests
Main Description
The rain forests of West Africa have been designated as one of the world's hotspots of biodiversity. They extend from Ghana to Senegal and are referred to as the Upper Guinean forests. Because of their isolated position, they harbour a large number of rare and endemic animal and plant species.
This book focuses on the biodiversity and ecology of these forests. It analyses the factors that give rise to biodiversity and structure tropical plant communities. It also includes an atlas with ecological profiles of rare plant species and large timber species.
Reviews
• "This book will advance the cause of forest conservation in West Africa and encourage a new generation of ecologists to fill the gaps in our knowledge."
D M Newbury, Forest Ecology and Management, 196, 2004
• "This elegantly produced and copiously illustrated atlas contains immensely useful information on the biodiversity of an ecologiccal important region. It should prove valuable to researchers and resource managers alike, and even laymen looking for a biodiversity scenario."
K P Singh, Tropical Ecology, 45(2), 2004
• "This book presents valuable information concisely yet thoroughly. This excellent ecological atlas for the region will appeal to researchers working in forestry, biodiversity, plant ecology and conservation."
Unasylva, 218 (55), 2004
• "This is a really excellent compilation. I would have loved to have a copy of this at my side during the years that I have worked in the forests and savannahs of West Africa."
Jeffrey Sayer, International Forestry Review, 6(2), 2004
• "This book brings together results that were previously published in more obscure publications or in lanuages other than English."
B D Orr, Choice, 42(3), 2004
Main Contents
• West African forests: Introduction
L Poorter, F Bongers and R H M J Lemmens
• Forest cover changes in Cτte d’Ivoire and Upper Guinea
C Chatelain, H Dao, L Gautier and R Spichiger
• The forest-savannah transition in West Africa
L Gautier and R Spichiger
• The forests of Upper Guinea: Gradients in large species composition
F Bongers, L Poorter and W D Hawthorne
• Floristic diversity of closed forests in Cτte d’Ivoire
F N Kouamι, K E Kouadio, K Kouassi and L Poorter
• Biodiversity hotspots in West Africa; patterns and causes
J J Wieringa and L Poorter
• What explains the distribution of rare and endemic West African plants?
M Holmgren, L Poorter and A Siepel
• Implications for conservation and management
F Bongers, L Poorter, V Belignι, W D Hawthorne, F N Kouamι, M P E Parren and D Traorι
• Ecological profiles of rare and endemic species
M Holmgren, L Porer, A Siepel, F Bongers, M Buitelaar, C Chatelain, L Gautier, W D Hawthorne, T Helmink, C Jongking, H J Os Breijer, J J Wieringa and R van Zoest
• Ecological profiles of large timber species
A Siepel, L Poorter and W D Hawthorne
• Checklist of Upper Guinea forest species
C C H Jongking and J J Wieringa
• Appendices
