Restoring the natural vegetation on strong eroded volcanic soils of Cape Verde (West-Africa)

Selected Abstracts (range, wildlife, livestock and human) and an integrated view of land use prospects. -from Authors 92Z/00018 Histoire des reserves naturelles du canton de Vaud (History of the nature reserves in the Canton of Vaud) D. Aubert & F. Manuel, Memoires - Societe Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles, 18(4), 1991, pp 357-413. At the moment the Canton of Vand (Switzerland) has about 150 natural reserves. Following a history of these protected areas, there is detailed description of ten reserves chosen both for their representativeness of the main natural zones in the canton and because of the diverse ways that have led to their creation. -from English summary 92Z/00019 Kimberley rainforest communities: reserve recommendations a n d management considerations N . L . MeKenzie & L. Belbin, in: Kimberley rainforests of Australia, ed N.L. McKenzie & others, (Surrey Beatty, with DeparUnent of Conservation & Land management, Western Australia/Department of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism & Territories), 1991, pp 453-468. An assessment procedure translated contour maps of species richness into compositional gradients. In terms of their perennial plants, birds and land snails, 28 assemblages of species are distinguished in these communities. The existing and proposed reserves encompass the compositional diversity of only 17 assemblages. From the compositional gradients the authors identify optimum positions for the 12 additional reserves necessary to encompass the diversity. Fire influences the area of Kimberley rainforest patches, and its impact is exacerbated by cattle. In the drier areas, rainforest patches only persist in perennially moist refugia that are fire and/or cattle-proof. -from Authors

Restoration ecology 92Z/00020 Fioristic changes in soil algae and cyanobacteria in reclaimed metal-contaminated land at Sudbury, C a n a d a C . D . Maxwell, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 60(3-4, 1991, pp 381-393. Logging, fires and smelting haveproduced extensive barren areas in Sudbury, Ontario. Soils from these areas have a low pH (3.7-4.2), elevated concentrations of Cu and Ni, and are subject to erosion. A successful revegetation program has been in operation since 1978. Manual applications of limestone, fertilizers and seeds have produced extensive grassy swards. Cultures of soils from barren sites were characterized by a low diversity of chlorophytes and a few diatoms. Treated soils yielded an increased diversity of ctflorophytes and included a number of cyanobacterial genera. Chlorophyll a analysis indicates a higher biomass of autotrophic organisms on treated sites. Increased diversity and blomass on treated soils may reduce erosion while the presence of N fixing cyanobacteria could contribute to the fertility of these softs. -from Author

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92z/00021 De.awning of Agropyron spieatum cultivar for use as an u n d e r s t o r y g r a s s on erosive sites C . J . Goebel & M. Tazi, Forestry Chronicle, 67(3), 1991, pp 243-244. South-facing, semi-arid slopes supporting sagebush ArtemiMa tridentata with scant understory are difficult sites for establishment of perennial vegetative cover in C Washington. Bluebunch wheatgrass is the most ubiquitous, widely distrubted native perennial where exotic annuals are a competitive problem. It can be found as an understory associate or m open stands. Secar is a cultivar of A. spicaturn. Percent germination of secar seed is low. Total germination was not significantly affected by temperature treatment but an apparent difference in rate was determined. A significant increase in germination occurred with awn removal. -from Authors 92Z/00022 Restoring the n a t u r a l ve_getation on strong e r o d e d volcanic soils of Cape Verde (West-Africa) W. Van Cotthem, C. Beel, P. Daneels, J. De Keyzer & Q. Vyvey, Soil Technology, 4(2), 1991, pp 183-189. A five-year project was launched in 1989 to apply the so-called 'Terracottem method' with the aim of restoring the vegetation in five different Sahel countries. A surface of minimum 10 ha will be treated with a soil conditioner mixture in order to restore part of the natural vegetation. The mixture consists of water adsorbent polymers, mineral and organic fertilizers and a group of growth stimulators. The benefit of the method can be increased if the erosion can be controlled with appropriate infrastructures, so that water can infiltrateand be kept in the soil. A n example of possible infrastructures for use on the island of Sal (Cape Verde) is discussed. -from Authors 92Z/00023 Preliminary investigations of the status of soil inhabitants in reclaimed mine spoils V. Bhatt, P. Soni, H. B. Vasistha & O. Kumar, Journal of Nature Conservation (Muzaffarnagar), 3(1), 1991, pp 10-19. Even after five years, vegetational and soft faunal diversity show successional trend and the pattern of structural diversity of flora and fauna is similar to adjoining natural forest. -from Authors

92Z/00024 Spoil characteristics and vegetation development of an age series of mine spoils in a d r y tropical environment A . K . Jha & 1. S. Singh, Vegetatio, 97(1), 1991, pp 63-76. In Varanasi, India, mine spoil sites, coarse fragments (>2 ram) decreased with age of spoil while theproportion of 0.2-0.1 rnm particles increased. Total soil N, mineral N, NaHCOa-cxtractable P and exchangeable K increased with age of fnine spoil; these parameters were lower in mine spoils than native forest soil even after 20 yr of succession. Exchangeable Na decreased with age of mine spoil and in 20-yr old spoil it was higher than native forest soft. Species richness increased with age, while evenness and species diversity declined from 5-yr old to 16-yr old community with an increase in the 20-yr old community. A reverse trend occurred for concentration of dominance. Areaweighted shoot and root biomass of other species increased with the age of the mine spoil while that of Xanthium strumarium patches declined with age. -from Authors