The worst ever map of global #forest cover is in Fig 1 of this paper:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162167

#SavannaScience #SavannasMatter #GrassyBiomes

There is interesting circularity in the use of global forest/non-forest (FNF) and global forest change (GFC) products. FNF maps are used to mask non-forest areas in studies of global forest change, and GFC maps are used to update FNF maps, yet both types of map are almost always based only on vegetation structure (height or tree cover). The situation is analogous to using the wrong screwdriver on a screw that will never tighten, even with the correct screwdriver.

#SavannasMatter #SavannaScience

@chartgerink
I don't, but I'm interested to know if you find out.

#SavannaScience

@carlastaver

I'll be sure to read it soon.

#SavannaScience

I'll be talking about #WoodyPlants and #FunctionalTraits in the Kruger Park version of the SAVANNA #EcosystemModel at this year's #SavannaScience Network Meeting.

https://www.sanparks.org/scientific-services/events/savanna-science-network-meeting-2023

#SavannasMatter

Almost everyone who is anyone in #SavannaScience attends the Savanna Science Network Meeting in Skukuza, Kruger National Park.

I'll be posting updates from this year's meeting, which is the 20th edition.

https://www.sanparks.org/scientific-services/events/savanna-science-network-meeting-2023

#SavannasMatter

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aec.13283

Great piece of #SavannaScience work by Corli Wigley-Coetsee and others showing factors other than large mammal herbivory, such as dispersal limitation, seed predation, or drought, may limit woody plant populations and communities in semi-arid #TropicalGrassyBiomes.

@marijnvdpas

News headlines like this create a negative perception of savannas in the eyes of the general public.

I can't read the whole NYT article, but I guess it's based on the recent paper in PNAS 119(52), e2203200119, which I have yet to read thoroughly, but my first impression was mixed. On the downside, portraying #TropicalGrassyBiomes as a stage in linear succession from grassland to forest is outdated, misleading and ignores current thinking in #SavannaScience.

#SavannasMatter

@dominic

That is interesting. Thanks for clarifying that aspect.

#SavannaScience

@hakim

Excellent review of satellite remote sensing for mapping #GrassyBiomes at regional and global scales.

This is crucial for #SavannaScience and the prevention of #Forestization of #OpenNaturalEcosystems such as #TropicalGrassyBiomes.

The EU and FAO need to read this, and other recent related work, and then realise they need to update their antiquated definition of "forest" based only on veg structure and ignoring #FunctionalTraits.

#SavannasMatter

It's time we stopped referring to fire and herbivores as 'disturbances' in #SavannaScience.

They are important *consumers* in #TropicalGrassyBiomes, and savanna plants are adapted to them.

#SavannasMatter

3/3

Then, saying "a linear relationship between AGB and Landsat 8 derived spectral variables" is a suitable approach "for monitoring and reporting of biomass baselines in low-biomass, open canopy woodlands for REDD+ projects" is the last straw for me, and others in #SavannaScience.

#TropicalGrassyBiomes are not "forests" and they are not "degraded forests". This mindset (especially when it leads to fire-suppression and tree planting) is what leads to degraded savannas.

#SavannasMatter

1/n

This is beyond cringe-worthy for anyone in #SavannaScience to read:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034425722003388?via%3Dihub

"Dryland forests in Southern Africa are currently experiencing high rates of forest loss as a result of overexploitation, wildfire, and herbivory..." is misleading.

There are no "dryland forests" in southern Africa. What they are referring to are #TropicalGrassyBiomes, where fire and herbivory are crucial.

#SavannasMatter

@bjenquist

Agreed. Huge disparities in 'global' biodiversity data demand attention.

The geographical biases in plant functional trait data are also a concern. For example, functional traits of #WoodyPlants in #TropicalGrassyBiomes are under-sampled.

#SavannasMatter
#SavannaScience

2/2

It's probably more like hydrological constraints in dry savannas, fire in wet savannas, and various combinations of fire and herbivores in savannas of intermediate rainfall.

#SavannaScience

1/2

Great new contribution to #SavannaScience here:

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.18648

Rico Holdo and Jesse Nippert argue that tree dominance in #TropicalGrassyBiomes is "precluded by ecohydrological constraints in dry savannas, and by fire and herbivores in wet savannas. Strong asymmetric grass-tree competition for soil moisture limits tree growth, exposing trees to persistent demographic bottlenecks."

Simulations with 3D virtual plants show that the benefits of growing most leaves on short shoots outweigh the costs of self-shading.

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.18636

#SavannaScience
#WoodyPlants

The descriptions and maps of #TropicalGrassyBiomes in the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (v2.1) are an excellent resource.

https://global-ecosystems.org/explore/biomes/T4

#SavannasMatter

They are not based on the FAO's outdated definitions that perpetuate the misclassification of savannas as "forest" or "degraded forest".

#SavannaScience

They are based on current thinking about #OpenBiomes /
#OpenNaturalEcosystems in the framework of #AlternateBiomeStates.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534722000611?via%3Dihub

@danielhz

This is a great resource for learning about tropical and temperate #GrassyBiomes.

The descriptions and maps of savannas are based on current thinking (not the FAO's outdated definitions that perpetuate the misclassification of savannas as "forest" or "degraded forest").

#SavannaScience
#SavannasMatter

@AleFidelis

Very hard to keep up with the torrent of great papers in #SavannaScience 🤔 .