(Past)
(Present)
Before humans were present, annual grasses and trees with
thick barks dominated the savanna. Fire is a natural aspect of this ecoregion [1] (Gillespie, 2012). It has been the habitat for some endemic animals such as the white-toothed
shrew and the zebra mouse. Although it is reported that there are more than
1000 endemic species of plants in the Sudanian region, the exact number of
endemic plants for the West Sudanian Savanna is unknown [2] (worldwildlife.org, 2012).
Humans have impacted the ecoregion by cutting trees for
wood, charcoal, and agricultural purposes. In addition, extreme hunting has
depleted numerous mammals that were present in this region. Therefore, the
habitat of the Western Sudanian Savanna has been overall reduced and degraded.
Hence, the human impact on this region was overall ugly. Comparing the two
images, it can be inferred that humans have indeed cut down numerous trees
during the course of the years. As mentioned previously, we benefitted greatly
by using wood and charcoal from this region
Sources: [1] Dr. Gillespie's Geography 5 Lecture
[2] http://worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0722
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