Weather data
A large number of automatic weather stations has been implemented in the frame of the BIOTA AFRICA project by the Namibian National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the Group "Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology" (BEE) of the University of Hamburg. The website offers hourly updates of data and graphs of a large number of weather parameters.


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BIOTA East Africa - Cross-cutting themes


Overview

CCT - Theme 1

Monitoring and assessment of biodiversity in space and time
CCT Description It is intended to deliver reliable data sets certified by experts on the history of changes and the actual state, composition and extension of Kakamega rain forest habitats and on surrounding rural areas, including an inventory of medicinal forest plants. The current state of long term monitoring sites recommended for future observation will be described.
During the previous periods of field work many samples of animals and plants were collected, lists of species were compiled and the distribution of vegetation types was recorded. It is now necessary to finalize and deliver easy-to-use keys to species (digital and on paper), data bases for access via internet, a field guide for forest visitors (tourists and schools).
Spatial correlation of all information based on existing samples and satellite images will provide the data base for a participatory forest management plan of the Kakamega area. Since the continuation of inventorying and monitoring is desperately desired by our counterparts, a contribution of BIOTA East will be to test and recommend just emerging innovative methods (DNA barcoding and image analyses) to considerably speed-up biodiversity inventorying and monitoring.


E02 - GIS and Remote Sensing in Support of Biodiversity Management at the Landscape Scale for Rainforests in Eastern Africa
Details WP1 Finalizing the BIOTA-East-GIS (data integration, user interface development, training) and geodata visualization
Details WP2 Spatial extrapolation of BIOTA-East findings on biodiversity and ecosystem function predominantly over Kakamega Forest, plus interdisciplinary analyses considering spatial information
Details WP3 Identifying structural parameters and modelling socio-economic scenarios for the farmland surrounding Kakamega Forest as well as deriving a detailed up-to-date vegetation map for Kaka-mega Forest as a contribution to forest management

E03 - Regeneration of tropical trees - implications for forest conservation
Details WP2 Long-term observations on tree growth and natural seedling recruitment
Details WP3 Experimental restoration and rehabilitation of degraded forest sites and threatened tree species

E04 - Flora and vegetation of rainforests in East Africa - conservation and sustainable use
Details WP1 GIS-based vegetation mapping of Kakamega and Budongo Forest - Monitoring and assessment of biodiversity
Details WP2 Distribution and abundance of plant species originating from Kakamega Forest in farms and agricultural landscape elements
Details WP3 Medicinal plants of Kakamega and Budongo Forest

E10 - Towards conservation and sustainable use of pollinators
Details WP1 Measures of pollinator conservation and long-term monitoring of bees
Details WP2 Effects of landscape structure and habitat fragmentation on plant-pollinator interactions
Details WP3 Automated identification system for East African bees

E11 - Human impact on avian diversity, seed dispersal and regeneration processes of East African rainforests: management tools and recommendations
Details WP1 Ficus-diversity as indicator for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at different spatial scales
Details WP2 Management for high genetic diversity in Prunus africana: seed dispersers vs. pollinators
Details WP3 Multi-disciplinary analysis of data on biodiversity and ecosystem functions
Details WP5 Conservation education and outreach to Kenyan partners

E15a - Capacity building in biodiversity information systems for animals and plants in East Africa
Details WP1 Building of BIOTA E15 technical Infrastructure at NMK
Details WP3 Capacity building and sustainable management of zoological BIOTA-East specimen- and observation data

E15b - Capacity building in biodiversity information systems for animals and plants in East Africa
Details WP3 NMK - a regional centre of excellence for biodiversity informatics and a provider of biodiversity data

E16 - Ant and termite communities along a habitat degradation gradient: patterns and consequences for ecosystem function
Details WP1 Enhancing tools and scientific capacity for monitoring ants and termites
Details WP2 Diversity and abundance of ants and termites along a habitat degradation gradient
Details WP3 Trophic ecology of ants and termites
Details WP4 Ant predation and herbivore-control: from rainforest to intensively used farmland
Details WP5 Use of farmland habitat, temperature tolerance and the survival of ant species in forest fragments
Details WP6 Effects of termite diversity on decomposition rates