“It´s a matter of choice” -A seed zone approach for Central and West African timber species
- Supervisor: Olivier Hardy
- Research center: Evolution biologique et Ecologie
- Research start date: 01.09.2019
Description
Reforestation is of growing concern in tropical forests of West and Central Africa, but lacking adequate strategies. Tree species are not uniform biological entities, but evolved through natural selection to distinct intraspecific genetic ecotypes adapted to local environments. Hence, the “genetic identity” of seed sources used in reforestations is an essential part of sustainable forest management to mitigate climate-induced maladaptation. Consequently, the proposed project will conduct a comprehensive inventory of forest genetic resources (FGR), and combine these data with species distribution modelling (SDM), to perform a first spatial characterization of seed zones for economically important timber species of the Guineo-Congolian forest complex. This will provide (i) guidance in choosing suitable seed sources associated with climate change, (ii) a basis for consistent monitoring and evaluations of sustainable management actions, and (iii) key insights for the conservation of FGR.