Author
Peter G. H. Frost
Other affiliations: Center for International Forestry Research
Bio: Peter G. H. Frost is an academic researcher from University of Zimbabwe. The author has contributed to research in topics: Natural resource management & Natural resource. The author has an hindex of 22, co-authored 28 publications receiving 3692 citations. Previous affiliations of Peter G. H. Frost include Center for International Forestry Research.
Papers
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Colorado State University1, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research2, United States Forest Service3, United States Geological Survey4, École Normale Supérieure5, University of Lyon6, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation7, Lund University8, University of Dar es Salaam9, Princeton University10, University of Nairobi11, University of Virginia12, University of Cape Town13, University of Zimbabwe14, Mammal Research Institute15, University of Wisconsin-Madison16, Wageningen University and Research Centre17, University of Botswana18, University of Potsdam19, South African National Parks20
TL;DR: It is shown, using data from 854 sites across Africa, that maximum woody cover in savannas receiving a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of less than ∼650 mm is constrained by, and increases linearly with, MAP.
Abstract: Savannas are globally important ecosystems of great significance to human economies. In these biomes, which are characterized by the co-dominance of trees and grasses, woody cover is a chief determinant of ecosystem properties1–3. The availability of resources (water, nutrients) and disturbance regimes (fire, herbivory) are thought to be important in regulating woody cover1,2,4,5, but perceptions differ on which of these are the primary drivers of savanna structure. Here we show, using data from 854 sites across Africa, that maximum woody cover in savannas receiving a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of less than ,650mm is constrained by, and increases linearly with, MAP. These arid and semi-arid savannas may be considered ‘stable' systems in which water constrains woody cover and permits grasses to coexist, while fire, herbivory and soil properties interact to reduce woody cover below the MAP-controlled upper bound. Above a MAP of ,650mm, savannas are ‘unstable' systems in which MAP is sufficient for woody canopy closure, and disturbances (fire, herbivory) are required for the coexistence of trees and grass. These results provide insights into the nature of African savannas and suggest that future changes in precipitation6 may considerably affect their distribution and dynamics.
1,740 citations
TL;DR: The first 12 years (1989-2001) of the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) was described in this article, a community-based natural resource management program in which Rural District Councils, on behalf of communities on communal land, are granted the authority to market access to wildlife in their district to safari operators.
242 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe an interdisciplinary and interactive approach for: (i) the understanding of competing claims and stakeholder objectives; (ii) the identification of alternative resource use options; and (iii) the scientific support to negotiation processes between stakeholders.
Abstract: Competing claims on natural resources become increasingly acute, with the poor being most vulnerable to adverse outcomes of such competition A major challenge for science and policy is to progress from facilitating univocal use to guiding stakeholders in dealing with potentially conflicting uses of natural resources The development of novel, more equitable, management options that reduce rural poverty is key to achieving sustainable use of natural resources and the resolution of conflicts over them Here, we describe an interdisciplinary and interactive approach for: (i) the understanding of competing claims and stakeholder objectives; (ii) the identification of alternative resource use options, and (iii) the scientific support to negotiation processes between stakeholders Central to the outlined approach is a shifted perspective on the role of scientific knowledge in society Understanding scientific knowledge as entering societal arenas and as fundamentally negotiated, the role of the scientist becomes a more modest one, a contributor to ongoing negotiation processes among stakeholders Scientists can, therefore, not merely describe and explain resource-use dynamics and competing claims, but in doing so, they should actively contribute to negotiation processes between stakeholders operating at different scales (local, national, regional, and global) Together with stakeholders, they explore alternatives that can contribute to more sustainable and equitable use of natural resources and, where possible, design new technical options and institutional arrangements
234 citations
TL;DR: This work proposes a framework for assessing system performance using indicators from the sustainable-livelihoods perspective, and develops an Integrated Interpretation of the Indicators.
Abstract: Introduction Conceptualizing a Framework for Assessing System Performance Bounding the System Developing Conceptual Models of Natural Resource Management Selecting Indicators: Using the Sustainable-Livelihoods Approach The sustainable-livelihoods perspective Coping with different spatial scales Using qualitative indicators Incorporating Systems Modeling Developing a Participatory Approach to Assessment Using Typologies of Landscapes or Resource Management Domains Making an Integrated Interpretation of the Indicators Combining indicators: simple additive indices Combining indicators: derived variables using principal component analysis Visualizing change: two-dimensional plots derived from PCA-type analyses Visualizing change: radar diagrams Combining indicators across scales: canonical correlations Conclusions Responses to this Article Acknowledgments Literature Cited
229 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature on the vegetation of the Kalahari and described the vegetation structure and composition at 11 new sites and found that there is a clear gradient in woody plant biomass (as indexed by basal area) from south to north.
Abstract: The Kalahari sand sheet occupies 2.5 million ha in southern Africa. It is an area with relatively similar deep aeolian soils, and a strong south to north gradient in rainfall, from 200 to 1000 mm mean annual precipitation (MAP) in the region studied. This provides an excellent basis for gradient studies at the subcontinental scale. This paper briefly reviews the literature on the vegetation of the Kalahari and describes the vegetation structure and composition at 11 new sites. There is a clear gradient in woody plant biomass (as indexed by basal area) from south to north. Above the minimum level of 200 mm MAP, the woody basal area increases at a rate of ca. 2.5 m2.ha−1 per 100 mm MAP. Mean maximum tree height also increases along the gradient, reaching 20 m at ca. 800 mm MAP. The number of species to contribute > 95% of the woody basal area increases from one at 200 mm to 16 at 1000 mm MAP. Members of the Mimosaceae (mainly Acacia) dominate the tree layer up to 400 mm MAP. They are replaced by ei...
198 citations
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TL;DR: Understanding of the widely observed increase in tree biomass following introduction of commercial ranching into savannas requires inclusion of interactions among browsers, grazers, and fires, and their effects on tree recruitment.
Abstract: Savannas occur where trees and grasses interact to create a biome that is neither grassland nor forest. Woody and gramineous plants interact by many mechanisms, some negative (competition) and some positive (facilitation). The strength and sign of the interaction varies in both time and space, allowing a rich array of possible outcomes but no universal predictive model. Simple models of coexistence of trees and grasses, based on separation in rooting depth, are theoretically and experimentally inadequate. Explanation of the widely observed increase in tree biomass following introduction of commercial ranching into savannas requires inclusion of interactions among browsers, grazers, and fires, and their effects on tree recruitment. Prediction of the consequences of manipulating tree biomass through clearing further requires an understanding of how trees modify light, water, and nutrient environments of grasses. Understanding the nature of coexistence between trees and grass, which under other circumstances...
2,436 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual framework of associations between urban green space and ecosystem and human health is proposed, which highlights many dynamic factors, and their complex interactions, affecting ecosystem health and human Health in urban areas.
2,151 citations
TL;DR: Payments for environmental services (PES) have attracted increasing interest as a mechanism to translate external, non-market values of the environment into real financial incentives for local actors to provide environmental services as mentioned in this paper.
2,130 citations
TL;DR: Through successive rounds of learning and problem solving, learning networks can incorporate new knowledge to deal with problems at increasingly larger scales, with the result that maturing co- management arrangements become adaptive co-management in time.
2,040 citations
TL;DR: Livelihoods perspectives have been central to rural development thinking and practice in the past decade But where do such perspectives come from, what are their conceptual roots, and what influences have shaped the way they have emerged? as mentioned in this paper offers an historical review of key moments in debates about rural livelihoods, identifying the tensions, ambiguities and challenges of such approaches.
Abstract: Livelihoods perspectives have been central to rural development thinking and practice in the past decade But where do such perspectives come from, what are their conceptual roots, and what influences have shaped the way they have emerged? This paper offers an historical review of key moments in debates about rural livelihoods, identifying the tensions, ambiguities and challenges of such approaches A number of core challenges are identified, centred on the need to inject a more thorough-going political analysis into the centre of livelihoods perspectives This will enhance the capacity of livelihoods perspectives to address key lacunae in recent discussions, including questions of knowledge, politics, scale and dynamics
1,561 citations