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High seedling mortality can limit tropical forest regeneration after disturbance, such as selective logging. However, causes of seedling mortality are often poorly understood although this information is critical for designing appropriate restoration methods. We studied seedling mortality in a rainforest in Uganda where natural recovery has failed after selective logging carried out 40 years earlier and the sites are dominated by herbaceous vegetation. We established an experiment where seeds of 12 indigenous tree species were sown into different-sized logging gaps in order to capture factors that cause early seedling mortality. We examined whether seedling mortality was influenced by vegetation cover ( VC), vertebrate herbivores ( VHs), gap size, or forest compartment and recorded causes of mortality. We found that seedling mortality was in general high but showed high tree species-specific variation (ranging from 19 to 92% six months after emergence). VHs, particularly rodents, were the most important cause of mortality. Rotting caused mortality particularly in smaller gaps, but elephant trampling, drying, being washed away by rain and falling debris were only minor mortality causes. Dense VC was not a considerable barrier to seedling survival, but by providing shelter for rodents, it indirectly increased seedling herbivory. Our results show that high seedling mortality on logged sites can limit forest regeneration and rodents in particular can be a significant factor causing high seedling mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, several scholars have argued that livelihood diversification in terms of off-farm activities is key for rural households to escape from poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although the continuous growth of tourism in many SSA countries has created an additional off-farm income activity, empirical evidence is lacking to substantiate the poverty alleviating impact of tourism employment as being consistent and universal at the household level. Using the case of Kibale National Park in western Uganda, the aims of this paper are (1) to analyze the actual income composition of different types of rural livelihood strategies by means of cluster analysis, and (2) to compare the financial impact of tourism employment with alternative off-farm income activities. Results show a large differentiation in income compositions of households around Kibale National Park. In general, households engaged in off-farm income activities have higher levels of overall household welfare. Tourism employment generates low incomes compared to alternative off-farm activities, but still enables households to strengthen livelihood strategies by investments in on-farm or alternative off-farm activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]