NSF Award
2420103
Although tropical forests have long been considered relatively pristine, there is now increasing recognition that these ecosystems have been modified by former settlements throughout human history. This IRES project looks at how past human settlements have modified soils, plants and animals of tropical forests in Gabon, central Africa to understand whether past human activity may increase soil fertility and increase the abundance of fruiting trees. Both factors may not only benefit human populations but also the animals that feed on forest fruits. The project investigates this by comparing the soil, plants and animals of former settlements with reference sites without a history of human occupation. This project partners U.S. students with Gabonese students in research teams that are organized through an international field school known as ECOTROP. Students are mentored by researchers from Central Africa, Europe and the U.S. who have expertise in a wide array of disciplines relevant to this project. Findings from this study will help us better understand African tropical forest ecology dynamics and will have important implications for forest management in the Congo Basin.<br/><br/>There is increasing recognition that forest people have had a significant impact on tropical forests and that these activities may increase soil fertility and the abundance of useful plants. However, most previous work has focused on Amazonian forests and relatively little has been carried out in the central African tropics. The main goal of this project is therefore to assess the influence of past human settlements and their associated cultural practices on present-day plant and animal biodiversity in Gabon, central Africa. This project pairs former settlements with reference sites without a history of past settlement to test the hypothesis that past human activity has increased local soil fertility and fruiting tree abundance which in turn may benefit vertebrate diversity. The identification of suitable former settlement and reference sites is done using historical participatory mapping and past colonial maps. Using this paired sampling framework, the sites are compared for differences in: (1) soil chemistry and composition; (2) plant community structure and composition; (3) vertebrate and invertebrate species diversity. Findings from this study will help us better understand African tropical forest ecology dynamics and will have important implications for forest management in the Congo Basin. U.S. undergraduate and graduate students supported through this grant participate in the ECOTORP field school that also trains Gabonese students each year. Each of the U.S. student works in one of four different research teams in environmental anthropology, geosciences, botany and wildlife biology. U.S. Students are recruited from across the U.S. with emphasis on under-represented groups. Prior to departure, students take six weeks of language training and a weekly seminar on methods in environmental anthropology, spatial geography, geosciences and wildlife biodiversity. Students are also introduced to their Gabonese student partners and mentors to learn about conservation issues pertinent to Central Africa. After field work, students present their findings to an array of audiences in Gabon and attend a series of professional development workshops upon their return to the U.S.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
