Policy briefs

Eschen, R., Ehrensperger, A., Kayaa, O.E., Kibet, S., Van Wigen, B. (2020) Risks associated with promoting alien tree species for social benefits. The Woody Weeds Project. Policy Brief. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.10763.03367

Practice briefs

Adoyo, B., Choge, S.K., Eckert, S., Ehrensperger, A., Eschen, R., Kilawe C.J., Kiteme, B., Schaffner, U. (2021). Integrating the control of invasive trees in land use and management plans. The Woody Weeds Project. Practice Brief.

Insight briefs

Kilawe, C.J., Mbwambo, J.R, Kajembe, G.C, Mwakalukwa, E.E., Amri, A.M., Mushi, G.V. Athumani, A.M., Eckert, S., Eschen, R. (2017). Mrashia: Prosopis invading pastures and agricultural lands in Tanzania. The Woody Weeds Project. INSIGHTS Report. doi:

Videos

• Grasslands contribute more to climate change mitigation than invasive Prosopis.
• Tanzanian new invasive species Task Force.
• Removing Prosopis fosters peace in Ruko Conservancy.
• Woody Weeds Project: Prosopis invasion in Tanzania.
• Woody Weeds PhD Student – Amina.
• Woody Weeds project – Ethiopia.

Peer-reviewed articles

• Adoyo, B., Schaffner, U., Mukhovi, S., Kiteme, B., Mbaabu, P.R., Eckert, S., Choge, S., Ehrensperger, A. (2022) Pathways towards the Sustainable Management of Woody Invasive Species: Understanding What Drives Land Users’ Decisions to Adopt and Use Land Management Practices. Land 11: 550. doi: 10.3390/land11040550
• Bekele, K., Linders, T.E.W., Eschen, R., Shiferaw, H., Haji, J., Legesse, B., Choge, S., Eckert, S., Mbaabu, P.R., Schaffner, S. (2022) How well do local stakeholders’ perceptions of environmental impacts of an invasive alien plant species relate to ecological data? Ecological Indicators 137: 108748. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108748
• Bardgett, R., Bullock, J.M., Lavorel, S. et al. (2021) Combatting global grassland degradation. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. doi: 10.1038/s43017-021-00207-2
• Eschen, R., Mbaabu, P.R., Ramamonjisoa, B. and Robledo-Abad, C. (2021) Factors enhancing the level of utilisation of research knowledge on ecosystems. PLoS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254752
• Castillo ML, Schaffner U, Van Wilgen BW, Le Roux JJ (2021) The contribution of phenotypic traits, their plasticity, and rapid evolution to invasion success: insights from an extraordinary natural experiment. Ecography 44: 1–16. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.05541
• Eschen, R., Bekele, K., Mbaabu, P.R., Kilawe, C., Eckert, S. (2021) Prosopis juliflora management and grassland restoration in Baringo County, Kenya: Opportunities for soil carbon sequestration and local livelihoods. Journal of Applied Ecology. Doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13854.
Mbaabu, P.R., Olago, D., Gichaba, M., Eckert, S., Eschen, R., Oriaso, S., Choge, S.K., Linders, T.E.W., Schaffner, U. (2020) Restoration of degraded grasslands, but not invasion by Prosopis juliflora, avoids trade-offs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem services. Scientific Reports 10, 20391. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77126.
• Castillo ML, Schaffner U, Van Wilgen BW, Montaño NM, Bustamante RO, Cosacov A, Mathese MJ, Le Roux JJ (2020) Genetic insights into the globally invasive and taxonomically problematic tree genus Prosopis. AoB PLANTS, plaa069. DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa069.
• Brundu G, Pauchard A, Pyšek P, Perg J, Bindewald AM, Brunori A, Canavan S, Campagnaro T, Celesti-Grapow L, Dechoum M de S, Dufour-Dror J-M, Essl F, Flory LS, Genovesi P, Guarino F, Guangzhe L, Hulme PE, Jäger H, Kettle CJ, Krumm F, Langdon B, Lapin K, Lozano V, Le Roux JJ, Novoa A, Nuñez MA, Porté AJ, Silva JS, Schaffner U, Sitzia T, Tanner R, Tshidada N, Vítková M, Westergren M, Wilson JRU, Richardson DM, (2020) Global guidelines for the sustainable use of non-native trees to prevent tree invasions and mitigate their negative impacts. NeoBiota 61, 65-116. DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.61.58380.
• Seid, O., Haji, J., Legesse, B. (2020) Rural households’ perception on the effects of Prosopis juliflora invasion: The case of Amibara District of Afar National Regional State, Ethiopia. Pastoralism 10, 21. doi:10.1186/s13570-020-00174-1
• Eckert, S., Hamad, A., Kilawe, C.S., Linders, T.E.W., Ng, W.-T., Mbaabu, P.R., Shiferaw, H., Witt, A., Schaffner, U. (2020) Niche change analysis as a tool to inform management of two invasive species in Eastern Africa. Ecosphere e02987. doi:10.1002/ecs2.2987
• Schaffner, U., Adoyo, B., Choge, S., Kiteme, K., Rima, P., Witt, A. and the Woody Weeds team (2019) Towards a sustainable management of invasive alien trees and shrubs in Eastern Africa: the ‘Woody Weeds’ project. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal (in press).
• Adoyo, B., Choge S., Haji, J., Schaffner, U. (2019) Local actors’ perceptions about the impact of Prosopis on ecosystem services and land use: the case of Baringo County, Kenya. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal (in press).
• Linders, T.E.W., Bekele, K., Schaffner, U., Allan, E., Alamirew, T., Choge, S.K., Eckert, S., Haji, J., Muturi, G., Mbaabu, P.R., Shiferaw, H., Eschen, R. (2020) The impact of invasive species on social-ecological systems: Relating supply and use of selected provisioning ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services 41, 101055. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.101055
• Linders, T.E.W., Schaffner, U., Eschen, R., Abebe, A., Choge, S.K., Nigatu, L., Mbaabu, P.R., Shiferaw, H., Allan, E. (2019) Direct and indirect effects of invasive species: biodiversity loss is a major mechanism by which an invasive tree affects ecosystem functioning. Journal of Ecology. doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13268
• Mbaabu, P. Rima, Ng, W.-T., Schaffner, U., Gichaba, M., Olago, D., Choge, S, Oriaso, S. and Eckert, S. (2019) Spatial Evolution of Prosopis Invasion and its Effects on LULC and Livelihoods in Baringo, Kenya. Remote Sensing. 11. DOI: 10.3390/rs11101217
• Shiferaw, H., Bewket, W., Alamirew, T., Zeleke, G., Teketay,D., Bekele, B., Schaffner, U., and Eckert, S. 2019. Implications of land use/land cover dynamics and Prosopis invasion on ecosystem service values in Afar Region, Ethiopia. Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.220
• Shiferaw, H., Bewket, W. and Eckert, S. (2019) “Performances of machine learning algorithms for mapping fractional cover of an invasive plant species in a dryland ecosystem.” Ecology and Evolution 9: 2562-2574; https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4919
• Shiferaw, H., Schaffner, U., Bewket, W., Alamirew, T., Zekele, G., Teketay, D. and Eckert, S. (2019) “Modelling the current fractional cover of an invasive alien plant and drivers of its invasion in a dryland ecosystem.” Scientific Reports 9: 1576; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36587-7
• Bekele, K., Haji, J., Legesse, B. and Schaffner, U. (2018) “Economic impacts of Prosopis spp. invasions on dryland ecosystem services in Ethiopia and Kenya: Evidence from choice experimental data” J. Arid Env. 158: 9-18; doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2018.07.001.
• Bekele, K., Haji, J., Legesse, B., Shiferaw, H. and Schaffner, U. (2018) “Impacts of woody invasive alien plant species on rural livelihood: Generalized propensity score evidence from Prosopis spp. invasion in Afar Region in Ethiopia” Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 8: 28; doi: 10.1186/s13570-018-0124-6.
• Ng, W.T., Cândido de Oliveira Silva, A., Rima, P., Atzberger, C., Immitzer, M. (2018). Ensemble approach for potential habitat mapping of invasive Prosopis spp. in Turkana, Kenya. Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4649
• Ng, W.T., Rima, P., Einzmann, K., Immitzer, M., Atzberger, C., Eckert S. (2017). Assessing the Potential of Sentinel-2 and Pléiades Data for the Detection of Prosopis and Vachellia spp. in Kenya. Remote Sensing, 9: 74; doi: 10.3390/rs9010074.

Phd Theses

• Bekele, K. (2018) Impacts of Prosopis spp. on environment and livelihoods in East Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia and Kenya. PhD thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia.
• Castillo, M.L. (2019) Processes and drivers of Prosopis invasion in Eastern Africa. PhD thesis, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
• Linders, T. (2019) Understanding the newcomers: The effects of Prosopis and Lantana on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Eastern Africa. PhD thesis, University of Bern, Switzerland.
• Shiferaw, H. (2019) PhD thesis, University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

MSc Theses

• Abebe, A. (2018) Impact of Prosopis juliflora Invasion on Herbaceous Vegetation Composition, Diversity and Biomass Production in Arid and Semi-arid Region of Ethiopia. MSc thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia.
• Adoyo, B. (2017) Local actors’ perceptions about the impact of Prosopis on ecosystem services and land use: the case of Baringo County, Kenya. MSc thesis, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
• Kiswaga, S.A.S. (2018) Does invasiveness of alien plants affect regeneration of tropical native tree species? MSc thesis, Sokoine University, Tanzania.
• Mushi, G.V. (2019) Local communities’ perceptions on Lantana camara invasion, spread, socio-economic impacts and management responses in East Usambara, Tanzania. MSc thesis, Sokoine University, Tanzania.
• Seid, O. (2019) Rural Households’ Perception towards the Effects of Prosopis Juliflora Invasions: The case of Amibara District of Afar National Regional States, Ethiopia. MSc thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia.

Posters

Posters about impacts, invasion processes and management of woody weeds

Economic impact of Prosopis
Environmental impact of Prosopis
Social impact of Prosopis
Principles of woody weed invasions and management strategies
Woody weed management options

Posters about the first project phase for local administration offices

Prosopis juliflora in Afar Amharic / English
Prosopis juliflora in Baringo Kiswahili / English
Lantana camara in Tulo Afan Omoro / English
Lantana camara in Amani Kiswahili / EnglishLeghesse, B.Ecography