African Forest Biodiversity - Earthwatch Institute

sections have not been duplicated in each chapter, in which case the reader
will be referred to the relevant section in another chapter. However, readers are
advised to read the introductory sections of all chapters because different
authors have stressed different issues – all of which are important whatever
species group is being surveyed.
The manual can be carried into the field to guide survey work, in order to
ensure that the right information is gathered for subsequent analysis and report
writing. It is beyond the scope of this manual to provide details of the statistical
tests or analyses required to analyse and interpret field survey results
accurately. Instead, such texts are referenced in the chapters (including the
Smithsonian series and White & Edwards (2000)), and these should be consulted
in conjunction with this manual. Sample survey forms, which can be
photocopied for use in the field, are included at the back of each chapter.
Given the background, some chapters put stronger emphasis on forests
in eastern Africa, and others on western and central Africa. However, the survey
methods described, and the principles that need to be followed, apply in all
forest surveys in Africa, in Madagascar, and, indeed, even on other continents.
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