Implications of climate change on the distribution and conservation of Cabo Verde endemic trees

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges to biodiversity conservation, particularly in dry tropical islands, such as the Cabo Verde archipelago where only three endemic tree taxa occur – Dracaena draco subsp. caboverdeana, Phoenix atlantica and Sideroxylon marginatum – all classified as threatened. The main goal of this study was to predict the possible shifts in the climatically suitable habitat ranges for Cabo Verdean endemic tree species under different climate change scenarios. We applied species distribution models (SDMs) to the available occurrence data, and projected the distribution of the three taxa for 2050 and 2080, according to the expected climate change scenarios. The best models were obtained using the Random Forest algorithm; they showed that, by 2080, the suitable habitat for Dracaena draco subsp. caboverdeana and Sideroxylon marginatum will have decreased by 28% and 34%, respectively; conversely, the suitable habitat will have increased by 59% for Phoenix atlantica, the taxon best adapted to arid conditions. Additionally, Santo Antão is the island where endangered trees are more encompassed by protected areas. Overall, this study contributed with new integrated data to support the design and implementation of a strategic plan to promote the conservation and ecological value of Cabo Verde endemic trees in this climatically vulnerable country.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implications of climate change on the distribution and conservation of Cabo Verde endemic trees

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges to biodiversity conservation, particularly in dry tropical islands, such as the Cabo Verde archipelago where only three endemic tree taxa occur – Dracaena draco subsp. caboverdeana, Phoenix atlantica and Sideroxylon marginatum – all classified as threatened. The main goal of this study was to predict the possible shifts in the climatically suitable habitat ranges for Cabo Verdean endemic tree species under different climate change scenarios. We applied species distribution models (SDMs) to the available occurrence data, and projected the distribution of the three taxa for 2050 and 2080, according to the expected climate change scenarios. The best models were obtained using the Random Forest algorithm; they showed that, by 2080, the suitable habitat for Dracaena draco subsp. caboverdeana and Sideroxylon marginatum will have decreased by 28% and 34%, respectively; conversely, the suitable habitat will have increased by 59% for Phoenix atlantica, the taxon best adapted to arid conditions. Additionally, Santo Ant˜ao is the island where endangered trees are more encompassed by protected areas. Overall, this study contributed with new integrated data to support the design and implementation of a strategic plan to promote the conservation and ecological value of Cabo Verde endemic trees in this climatically vulnerable countryinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Present and future distribution of Faidherbia albida in Cabo Verde as revealed by climatic modelling and LULC analysis

Climate change poses one of the most significant challenges to conserve biodiversity, especially in tropical dry islands, as is the case of Cabo Verde (northeast Atlantic Ocean). This archipelago has a low percentage of forest cover and hosts only seven native tree species, among them, Faidherbia albida (Delile) A.Chev. (Fabaceae). Therefore, protective afforestation is extremely important in Cabo Verde, one of the most vulnerable West African countries to climate change. With this work, we aimed to estimate the current distribution and potential shifts in suitable areas for F. albida under climate change, using species distribution models (i.e., random forest, generalized linear and additive models), covering its distribution range in Cabo Verde and mainland Africa. The best model was then projected for the studied area, at two different slice times, using Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Based on current bioclimatic variables, we estimated that almost two thirds of Cabo Verde’s territory is highly suitable for F. albida, which contrasts with its current occurrence. By overlaying the present habitat suitability with land use and land cover data, we concluded that habitat availability and suitability could be constrained by that factor. On average, the predicted suitable habitat for future distributions gradually decreases by 2080 under both scenarios compared with the current, with a smaller effect of RCP4.5 than of RCP8.5. Local authorities can benefit from this research and develop actions to promote sustainable reforestation in Cabo Verde, which should include native tree species that are best adapted to the local climate and could thus contribute to mitigate the effects of climate change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanisms implemented for the sustainable development of agriculture: an overview of Cabo Verde performance

In 2005, the Economic Community ofWest African States (ECOWAS) adopted the Common Agricultural Policy of ECOWAS (ECOWAP), as an instrument for implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). The main goals of ECOWAP/CAADP were set to promote agriculture development and end hunger by 2025. In this study we focused on the Cabo Verde archipelago as one of the best performing countries within ECOWAS in terms of overall sustainable development. In this paper, the evolution of the ECOWAP implementation and of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) associated with agriculture in Cabo Verde, were assessed by semi-quantitative (e.g., agricultural policies, agrarian periodical literature) and quantitative (modeling regression of ECOWAP implementation and Sustainable Development Goals—SDGs—performance) analyses. Our integrated results suggest that the agriculture development strategies, the signature of ECOWAP/CAADP by the national government, and political stability might explain the progress made towards poverty reduction and the improvement of food security. The results also show that agriculture-related SDGs in Cabo Verde are higher than the mean values obtained from the remaining West African countries, well above the top 25% WA countries. Nevertheless, Cabo Verde public expenditure into agriculture under the ECOWAP was generally below the targeted 10% of the national budget, with food import required to meet internal food demandsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

HIPÓTESE DO PARADOXO DA ABUNDÂNCIA NA ÁFRICA SUBSAARIANA

RESUMO A problemática desta pesquisa emergiu de um questionamento recorrente sobre crescimento econômico real per capita nos países da África Subsaariana ricos em recursos naturais, a saber:  por que países que têm elevadíssimas reservas de petróleo, minérios, diamantes e demais pedras preciosas tendem a ter um crescimento econômico real per capita baixo? A tendência de crescimento econômico inexpressivo dos países ricos em matéria-prima é denominada na literatura econômica por “maldição de recursos” ou Paradoxo da Abundância. Sendo assim, esta pesquisa testa a Hipótese do Paradoxo da Abundância nos países da África subsaariana e discorre sobre indicadores de desenvolvimento econômico. Os testes empíricos, obtidos por meio da aplicação do modelo de threshold para dados em painel, são referentes ao período de 1970 a 2014 e embasam a maioria dos pressupostos da hipótese do paradoxo, entretanto, alguns pressupostos da pesquisa não tiveram validação estatística. Contatou-se que países em que a abundância de recursos impacta negativamente no crescimento econômico são aqueles que negligenciaram o desenvolvimento humano (educação), o investimento em capital fixo e os que apresentam um saldo negativo de Poupança Líquida Ajustada. Os resultados apontam, outrossim, que o impacto dos recursos naturais no crescimento econômico depende, em parte, dos ciclos econômicos das commodities Palavras-Chave: Recursos Naturais, Paradoxo da Abundância, threshold, Poupança

Investigadores da UAc e do ISA publicam dois artigos sobre as implicações das alterações climáticas na distribuição e conservação das árvores endémicas e nativas de Cabo Verde

A secção UAciência é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.Os investigadores Danilson Varela (Nova Business Shool, CIBIO), Maria Romeiras (ISA, LEAF) e Luís Silva (UAc, CIBIO) publicaram dois estudos técnico-científicos nas revistas internacionais “Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution” e “Global Ecology and Conservation”, acerca dos fatores climáticos que afetam a distribuição das árvores endémicas e nativas de Cabo Verde. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Governança no transporte aeroportuário: o caso do aeroporto de Natal/RN

Dez anos após sua inauguração, que foi marcada pela resistência de grande parte da população da Zona Metropolitana de Natal, o Aeroporto Internacional Aluízio Alves, localizado em São Gonçalo do Amarante, na região metropolitana de Natal-RN, passou por um processo de devolução à União e de relicitação do empreendimento, considerando estudos de viabilidade técnica e econômica. Durante esse breve período, o aeroporto provocou um prejuízo de cerca de R$ 1 bilhão de reais à concessionária anterior, apresentando resultados inferiores ao estimado no movimento de cargas e passageiros. Assim, este estudo visa a evidenciar a necessidade da discussão sobre governança no empreendimento – pública, corporativa e aeroportuária –, destacando alguns fatores importantes à sociedade. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto utilizou-se de uma pesquisa exploratória, com características bibliográfica e documental. Como resultado preliminar, se observou a necessidade da participação da sociedade no processo de tomada de decisões e percebeu-se que algumas questões demandam maior atenção do poder público, enquanto outras demandam maior atenção dos novos gestores do empreendimento, bem como algumas demandam atenção de ambos. Ainda, se evidenciou a necessidade de ações integradas, baseadas em critérios técnicos e científicos que visem à coletividade para que o empreendimento, nesse novo projeto, possa retomar sua efetividade e gerar os resultados sociais esperados há cerca de uma década