Restoration of Deforested and Degraded Areas in Africa

Abstract

Deforestation and degradation of the remaining forests in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, especially rural residents. Because of wide-spread poverty many people face food insecurity even in good times and forests are their safety net. Deforestation and degradation throughout SSA results from a complex interplay among anthropogenic and environmental factors. Forest landscape restoration in SSA is undertaken within a mosaic of shifting agriculture or other land uses that range from intact forest to permanently cleared cropland with a diversity of agroforestry mixtures between. Forest landscape restoration focuses on re-establishing functions and key ecosystem processes across a whole landscape rather than at just planting or restoring individual sites. Nevertheless, restoration usually involves planting or otherwise manipulating existing vegetation. The kind of trees planted, planting density, and long-term maintenance of the restored forest will depend on whether the restored area is within a protected or otherwise designated area or on customary lands mixed with agriculture. A necessary measure in all restoration projects in Africa is to address the local drivers of degradation by providing alternative livelihoods or improved agricultural practices. The major techniques that have been used in Africa for restoration of degraded landscapes include plantations, agroforestry, physical structures for soil and water conservation, natural regeneration, assisted natural regeneration, and enrichment planting. Forest restoration projects for carbon sequestration are reality and in Africa some projects with collaboration of local communities and are being implemented. These approaches provide an opportunity to fund forest landscape restoration efforts although much is yet to be learned of the most sustainable approaches.