Burundi biological diversity and tropical forest assessment

This report assesses Burundi"s flora and fauna; summarizes the impacts of population growth, the various land use systems, and economic forces that have led to environmental degradation; describes institutional interventions, including colonial policies, direct government policies, communal tree planting, and alternative models; and examines major policy issues. Major findings include the following. Burundi"s flora have undergone a large-scale transformation due to agricultural and pastoral land use: in agricultural areas, native forest and savannah species have been replaced by domestic crops; in pastoral areas, the herbaceous vegetation remains indigenous but the diversity of the original primary associations has been reduced. Mammalian wildlife are now restricted to a small percentage of the country"s territory; several species such as elephants and gorillas have become, at least locally, extinct because of human expansion and depredation. High population density in the steep-sloped highlands (450 people per sq km) increases the vulnerability of the landscape to soil erosion. Erosion control efforts are largely ineffective, due to the high population pressure and the small size of landholdings. The Burundi Government has begun to take stricter conservation measures, but in the process many families have been physically rejected from regions declared to be parks or reserves. Tree planting schemes have increased state control of wood, and some farmers are reluctant to plant trees on their land for fear it may lead to eventual government expropriation. Annexes include a bibliography, maps, and lists of government organizations, protected areas, and plant and animal species.