A Socio-Ecological Observatory for the Southern African Woodlands

地球上的植被正在发生变化，以应对气候变化、大气中二氧化碳浓度的增加以及用于燃料、食物和建筑材料的收获。这些变化可以通过改变碳循环来加速或减少气候变化，也会影响那些在日常生活中使用自然资源的人的生计。了解植被变化及其影响的最重要方法之一是反复对同一块植被（“地块”）进行仔细测量。这些地块的网络产生了令人惊讶的发现，挑战了植被对气候变化响应的理论和模型。例如，在拉丁美洲，一个由这些地块组成的网络表明，热带森林吸收的碳没有预期的那么多。这些实地测量网络是获得植被当前变化的详细视图的唯一方法。然而，目前，不同的研究人员并没有结合他们的数据来理解区域变化模式。这个项目将通过把收集南部非洲林地地块数据的研究人员聚集在一起来解决这个问题，以共享数据并回答有关该地区植被发生了什么变化的重大问题。南部非洲的林地是世界上最大的稀树草原（300万平方公里），支持着1.6亿人的生计。这些人中的许多人很穷，25%的收入依靠林地来支持他们的农业。理论和模型表明，这些林地将对大气中二氧化碳的增加和其他正在发生的环境变化敏感：这是因为，与森林不同，林地在树木和草之间的竞争中保持平衡，允许两种类型的植物共存。有利于树木的微小变化（如大气中二氧化碳含量增加）可能会迅速将林地转变为树木主导的系统。这意味着它们储存了更多的碳，但可能会减少地面上植物的多样性。也有可能人类对这些林地的利用，特别是砍伐木材作为燃料，正在改变它们的多样性并减少它们提供的“服务”。目前我们没有办法知道这些变化是否正在发生——卫星数据和模型可以提供帮助，但需要用地块测量来验证。*目的和目标了解南部非洲林地对全球变化的反应是SEOSAW的长期目标。它将通过建立一个定期重新测量的系统地块网络来实现这一目标。该网络的基础是：1)开发一个在线数据共享平台来交换现有的地块数据，以便我们能够寻找广泛变化的迹象；2)将nerc资助的486块地块的数据与其他人测量的1783块地块的数据结合起来，创建一个覆盖整个地区的网络；3)使用这个新的数据集来更好地理解树木和草共存的过程。为了让建模者对未来的变化做出更好的预测，鼓励研究人员在未来以类似的方式进行测量，这样我们就能更容易地发现变化，为未来覆盖整个地区的地块测量制定一个计划，并充分利用现有的时间和金钱。*谁会受益？SEOSAW将填补一大缺口的情节在热带地区和好处:网络——地球模型的植被能够测试他们的模型对现实最难模型生物群落之一——科学家们利用卫星数据绘制植被将可以校准和验证他们的地图在所有类型的热带植被——那些造型碳循环,谁需要知道多少碳被由woodlandsConservationists也将受益,作为SEOSAW将确定该地区具有独特或特别多样化林地的部分，帮助优先考虑保护工作。

* ContextThe Earth's vegetation is changing in response to climate change, increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, and harvesting for fuel, food and building materials. These changes can accelerate or reduce climate change by altering the carbon cycle, and also affect the livelihoods of those who use natural resources in their day-to-day lives. One of the most important ways to understand vegetation change and its impacts, is to make careful measurements of the same patches of vegetation ("plots") repeatedly. Networks of these plots have produced surprising findings, challenging theory and models of vegetation responses to climate change. E.g. in Latin America, a network of these plots has shown that tropical forests are not soaking up as much carbon as predicted.Networks of these on-the-ground plot measurements are the only way to get a detailed view of how vegetation is currently changing. However at the moment, different researchers do not combine their data to understand regional patterns of change. This project will address this by bringing together researchers collecting plot data in southern African woodlands to share data and answer the big questions about what is happening to the vegetation in the region.The southern African woodlands are the largest savanna in the world (3 million km2), and support the livelihoods of 160M people. Many of these people are poor and depend upon the woodlands for 25% of their income and to support their agriculture. Theory and models suggest that these woodlands will be sensitive to increased atmospheric CO2 and other environmental changes underway: this is because, unlike forests, woodlands maintain a balance in the competition between trees and grasses, allowing both types of plant to co-exist. Small changes that benefit trees (such as more CO2 in the atmosphere) might rapidly change woodlands into a tree-dominated system. This would mean that they store more carbon, but might reduce the diversity of plants on the ground. It is also possible that human use of these woodlands, particularly wood harvesting for fuel, is altering their diversity and reducing the "services" that they provide. Currently we have no way to know if these changes are happening - satellite data and models can help, but need to be validated with plot measurements. * Aims and objectivesUnderstanding the response of southern African woodlands to global change is the long-term goal of SEOSAW. It will do this by creating a regularly re-measured, systematic plot network. The stepping stones to this network are to:1) develop an online data-sharing platform to exchange existing plot data so that we can look for signs of widespread change2) combine NERC-funded data from 486 plots with data from 1,783 plots measured by others, to create a network that covers the whole region3) use this new data set to better understand the processes that allow trees and grasses to co-exist, to allow modellers to make better predictions of future change4) encourage researchers to make measurements in similar ways in the future, so that we can more easily detect changes5) create a plan for future plot measurements that covers the whole region, and makes best use of the available time and money.* Who will benefit?SEOSAW will fill a large gap in the network of plots in tropical regions and benefit:- modellers of the Earth's vegetation will be able to test their models against reality in one of the most difficult to model biomes- scientists using satellite data to map vegetation will now be able to calibrate and validate their maps in all types of tropical vegetation- Those modelling the carbon cycle, who need to know how much carbon is being taken up by the woodlandsConservationists will also benefit, as SEOSAW will identify parts of the region that have unique or particularly diverse woodlands, helping to prioritise conservation efforts.