Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The Day forest is believed to shelter over 60 per cent of the country’s biodiversity [ ] 93 Pilot project for the integrated management of the Day Forest In the past decades, the exploitation of the Day forest for livestock has led to overgrazing. This has had negative environmental consequences, notably the disappearance of forage plants, including aerial plants, such as fig trees (Ficus Vasta). Juniper trees are also grazed as young shoots. Between 2003 and 2006, a pilot project was carried out to create fenced off protected areas within the forest, where grazing was prohibit- ed. The area covered 8ha in Garab, Gala’Alé Ada and Bara’baré. The project was executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and financed by the French Cooperation. The activities were carried out by an association from the local pop- ulation in collaboration with the Regional Council of the Tadjourah district and with the technical sup- port of the Agriculture and Livestock Departments and the CIRAD. They focused on creating the conditions to promote natural regeneration. For example, at the end of 2003, a plot of 4ha was fenced off on the plateau of Garab, one of the three sites selected for total protection. Two years after the start of the pro- ject, the results were very convinc- ing and positive. Compared to the unprotected areas, these zones had regeneration rates for juniper trees that were much higher. The growth of young juniper seedlings was healthy and new seedlings were appearing. Furthermore, the development of herbaceous plants was spectacular, boasting a diversity of almost 15 forage species and a spatial coverage varying between 70 and 100 per cent depending on the site. This experimental study demon- strated that anthropogenic action, notably overgrazing, was largely responsible for the regression of the forest. It is predicted that the exten- sion of these types of activities to the entire forest as part of an expanded programme would most likely allow the forest to recover to its natural state over time. Locusts Djibouti T he Republic of Djibouti is characterized by a hot and arid climate. Despite this and the small surface of its territory (23,200km²), the country features a rich diversity of landscapes and species. There are three geomorphological domains: the mountain forests in the north of the country benefit from a mild microclimate and thus hold an important biodiversity; the plateaus and hills of high and medium altitude are characterized by less dense steppes; and the transition zones and low altitude zones have a biodiversity adapted to harsh climate conditions. In total, the marine and land biodiversity include 1,421 animal species and 843 plant. Gail Hampshire on flickr