Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda
Political shifts and changing forests: Effects of armed conflict on forest conservation in Rwanda
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政治转变和森林变化：武装冲突对卢旺达森林保护的影响
DOI：
10.1016/j.gecco.2015.01.013
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发表时间：
2015
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
E. Ordway
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
E. Ordway
近代历史上的大多数武装冲突都发生在生物多样性热点地区。然而，有关战争对森林影响的研究得出了相互矛盾的结果。这项研究提供了一个理论框架，阐明冲突和森林转型之间的不同假设关系。对 Landsat TM 和 ETM+ 数据进行了分析，以研究冲突期间和冲突后时期卢旺达的森林转变。不同时期的净趋势差异不大，冲突年份的年增长率为 1.6%，冲突后的年增长率为 2.5%。更仔细的检查显示，冲突年份森林损失在空间上集中； 96%发生在保护区，其中吉什瓦蒂森林保护区损失最严重，损失率为-6.1%。利用空间明确的冲突数据探讨了趋势，这些数据将武装冲突活动与冲突引起的定居点区分开来。冲突对卢旺达森林的影响似乎受到定居点附近自然资源使用的影响。冲突期间，原本分散在各地的人们大规模迁移到定居点，导致压力重新分配。其他地方压力减小支持了这一推论。结果强调了保护区的脆弱性以及冲突期间森林资源依赖的空间动态。这项工作展示了区分冲突活动以评估其不同环境影响的价值。
Most armed conflicts in recent history occurred in biodiversity hotspots. Yet, studies examining impacts of warfare on forests yield contradictory results. This study provides a theoretical framework articulating different hypothetical relationships between conflict and forest transitions. Landsat TM and ETM+ data were analyzed to examine forest transitions in Rwanda during conflict and post conflict periods. Net trends showed little difference between periods, with a rate of 1.6% annual gain during conflict years, and 2.5% following the conflict. Closer inspection revealed spatially concentrated forest loss during conflict years; 96% occurred in protected areas with the most loss in Gishwati Forest Reserve at a rate of −6.1%. Trends were explored with spatially explicit conflict data that distinguished armed conflict activity from conflict induced settlements. Impacts of conflict on forests in Rwanda appear to be influenced by natural resource use near settlements. Massive migrations of people into settlements during the conflict, who had previously been scattered across the landscape, resulted in a redistribution of pressures. Reduced pressure elsewhere supports this inference. Results underscore the vulnerability of protected areas and the spatial dynamics of forest resource dependence during conflicts. This work demonstrates the value of distinguishing conflict activities to assess their varied environmental effects.