Feb

14

2007
 
 

A burning issue



Acacia trees in the Egyptian desertPoor recruitment of saplings can’t compensate loss of desert trees

Demand for charcoal is killing off the Eastern Desert in Egypt, scientists report this week. At least, it probably is. Gidske Anderson and Knut Krzywinski, both at the University of Bergen, Norway, put data from the CORONA US spy satellite to good use, by comparing high-resolution images from 1965 with modern data on Acacia and Balanites trees as they stand today. The decline in mature trees couldn’t be explained by factors such as climate, altitude or location. Although the nomadic human inhabitants of the Eastern Desert don’t exactly keep detailed records of how many trees they burn, Anderson and Krzywinski found telltale evidence of charcoal production from living trees. The harsh conditions — heat, drought and livestock grazing — make life for seeds and saplings extremely tough, so the Egyptian desert looks set to become even sandier than it is. And it’s already very sandy indeed.

Source: Anderson, GL & Krzywinski, K (2007) Mortality, recruitment and change of desert tree populations in a hyper-arid environment. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000208

Image © Dejan Sarman

Filed Under Habitat, Monitoring, Socio-political issues, Tools and technology | 

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