RAINBIO | African biodiversity dynamics: interactions between ecological processes and conservation actions
This document presents the main results of the FRB-CESAB RAINBIO “African biodiversity dynamics: interactions between ecological processes and conservation actions“.
As a result of climate change and anthropogenic pressures such as deforestation for timber exploitation or urbanization, Africa’s tropical rainforests are undergoing major changes. In order to be able to effectively preserve these fragile environments with a high diversity of species, it is essential to be able to assess their current state and estimate their evolution in the coming years.
Sustainable management of an environment requires a complete and up-to-date database on the abundance, nature and distribution of the species present in this environment. These information can be linked with other factors to develop models and scenarios. As for Africa’s tropical rainforests, a large amount of data has already been collected, but these remain difficult to access and incomplete.
The project RAINBIO has notably allowed :
- to create, for researchers, an open access database gathering the current knowledge available on the flora of tropical rainforests,
- to draw up an inventory and an inventory of biodiversity in these areas,
- to identify sensitive areas (high proportion of threatened species and/or important future upheavals such as disappearances, migrations, species substitutions, etc.)
- to establish exploratory scenarios of biodiversity evolution in these regions in order to make informed and appropriate decisions.
Three studies published in 2019 are based on the results of RAINBIO and have provided an unprecedented overview of rare plants in the world, the future of African tropical flora and the conservation measures to be implemented. They fill a gap in fundamental knowledge and confirm the importance of rapidly implementing sustainable management solutions that will allow the conservation of the rich biodiversity of African tropical forests.
This document summarizes, in just a few pages, the project’s context and objectives, the methods and approaches used, the main findings, and the implications for science, society, and both public and private decision-making.
