Articles

Role of The Forest-Savanna Transition Zones in Mitigating Climate Change at Lamto Scientific Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire

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In the context of global climate change, forests play a crucial role as carbon sinks, contributing to regulating greenhouse gases and stabilising the climate. This study evaluates the role of forest-savanna transition zones in mitigating climate change at Lamto Scientific Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire, by assessing their carbon sequestration capacity and economic value. The study employed a combination of field surveys, remote sensing and statistical analysis to gather and analyse the data. The floristic inventory recorded 4,018 individuals, distributed among 142 species, 92 genus, and 37 families.  The stem density ranges from 510 stems/ha (shrub savanna) to 758 stems/ha (moist semi-deciduous forest), with a basal area varying from 5.65 m²/ha (open forest) to 11.79 m²/ha (gallery forest). The vegetation structure, characterised by a “bell-shaped” vertical stratification and an “inverted J” horizontal distribution, reflects active regeneration. In terms of biomass and carbon sequestration, the gallery forest dominates with 287.37 ± 201.68 t/ha of biomass, 143.69 ± 100.84 tC/ha of carbon, and an exceptional capacity to sequester 526.856 tCO₂/ha, accounting for 57.6% of the total carbon sequestered. Its economic value, supported by mechanisms such as REDD+ High, reaches 13,171 EUR/ha (8,639,880 FCFA). In contrast, the shrub savanna, with a biomass of 9.38 ± 8.41 t/ha and limited sequestration of 17.203 tCO₂/ha, offers a maximum value of 430 EUR/ha (282,111 FCFA). The results highlight the key role of the gallery forest as the primary carbon sink and the economic potential of Lamto’s ecosystems. They underscore sustainable management’s importance in maximising climate regulation, preserving biodiversity, and enhancing ecological resilience.

Review of the Benefits of Green Roofs

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Green roofs installed on rooftop of buildings in urban communities have multiple environmental, economic, energy and social benefits. They promote the urban sustainability and the well-being of the local residents. The impact of green roofs in buildings, in the environment and in local communities have been studied. Green roofs remove atmospheric pollutants including carbon dioxide, release oxygen, mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce the energy consumption in buildings, improve the rainwater management, promote urban agriculture, enhance urban green spaces and bring nature closer to local residents. The development of green roofs results in many benefits in the buildings that have been constructed as well as in the broader community. Their construction is financially subsidized in several countries due to their multiple external benefits. In the era of climate change and of sustainable development construction of green roofs in urban environments has multiple positive impacts. Therefore, local and municipal authorities should promote their construction in public and private buildings. The current work emphasizes the benefits of green roofs and it could be useful to policy makers, to public and municipal authorities as well as to architects, construction companies and buildings’ owners who should promote their development in urban communities.