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Home > Featured Articles > Ecological adaptability and slope-trait considerations for water and soil conservation on the vulnerable Cku-Kom Plateau > Ecological adaptability and slope-trait considerations for water and soil conservation on the vulnerable Cku-Kom Plateau

Ecological adaptability and slope-trait considerations for water and soil conservation on the vulnerable Cku-Kom Plateau [1]

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The Oku-Kom highland morphological and human stronghold of West Cameroon with rich volcanic soils has attracted farmers and breeders thereby rupturing the mountain ecological equilibrium through slope gulling and mass movements. Overwhelmed, the indigenes adapted unsuccessful regreening approaches but without slope gradient considerations. This paper identifies native and exotic plant species whose growth traits and ecological adaptability rates can be combined with varied slope gradients to permit devegetated slopes to regain natural greenness. The methodology involves field survey and observations, slope measurement on the fields correlated with the topographic map, identification and spatialization of landscape degradation phenomenon. It then matches agronomic regreening efforts and cultural specialised measures to current trends in land use and slope gradients to suggest local and exotic grass and tree species to be combined with crops that are most suitable for each slope. The results then present an optimum slope gradient-specie combination. This could be a new approach to halt landscape degradation on fragile tropical mountains especially those plagued by long dating degradation histories like the Oku-Kom tropical highland.

Publication Date: 
01/04/2010
Zephania Nji Fogwe [2], Michel Tchotsoua [3]
Indian Journal of Ecology [4]
30
1
19
Tags:
Environment [5], Land Use [6], Land Degradation [7], Soil Erosion [8], Agriculture [9], Agroforestry [10], Water Conservation [11], Deforestation [12], Afforestation [13], Invasive Alien Species [14], Cameroon [15], Indian Journal of Ecology [4], Zephania Nji Fogwe [2], Michel Tchotsoua [3], Mountains [16]

Technology Partners: MimirTech

Source URL: http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/ecological-adaptability-and-slope-trait-considerations-water-and-soil-conservation

Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/ecological-adaptability-and-slope-trait-considerations-water-and-soil-conservation
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/zephania-nji-fogwe
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/michel-tchotsoua
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/indian-journal-ecology
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/environment
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/land-use
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/land-degradation
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/soil-erosion
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/agriculture
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/agroforestry
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/water-conservation
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/deforestation
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/afforestation
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/invasive-alien-species
[15] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/cameroon
[16] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mountains