Aboveground Biomass Distribution in a Multi-Use Savannah Landscape in Southeastern Kenya: Impact of Land Use and Fences

Edward Amara, Hari Adhikari, Janne Heiskanen, Mika Siljander, Martha Munyao, Patrick Omondi and Petri Pellikka
Additional contact information
Edward Amara: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Hari Adhikari: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Janne Heiskanen: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Mika Siljander: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Martha Munyao: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Patrick Omondi: Biodiversity Research and Planning Directorate, Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Petri Pellikka: Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 10, 1-24

Abstract: Savannahs provide valuable ecosystem services and contribute to continental and global carbon budgets. In addition, savannahs exhibit multiple land uses, e.g., wildlife conservation, pastoralism, and crop farming. Despite their importance, the effect of land use on woody aboveground biomass (AGB) in savannahs is understudied. Furthermore, fences used to reduce human–wildlife conflicts may affect AGB patterns. We assessed AGB densities and patterns, and the effect of land use and fences on AGB in a multi-use savannah landscape in southeastern Kenya. AGB was assessed with field survey and airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, and a land cover map was developed using Sentinel-2 satellite images in Google Earth Engine. The highest woody AGB was found in riverine forest in a conservation area and in bushland outside the conservation area. The highest mean AGB density occurred in the non-conservation area with mixed bushland and cropland (8.9 Mg·ha −1 ), while the lowest AGB density (2.6 Mg·ha −1 ) occurred in overgrazed grassland in the conservation area. The largest differences in AGB distributions were observed in the fenced boundaries between the conservation and other land-use types. Our results provide evidence that conservation and fences can create sharp AGB transitions and lead to reduced AGB stocks, which is a vital role of savannahs as part of carbon sequestration.

Keywords: savannah; multifunctionality; protected areas; conservation; airborne laser scanning; aboveground woody biomass (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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