Overview of restoration and management practices in the degraded landscapes of the Sahelian and dry land forests and woodlands of East and southern Africa

The highest deforestation and forest degradation rates in Africa occur in the dry forests and woodlands where pressure for land is increasing, poverty is rampant, livelihood options are few and climate change effects are severe. This paper examines factors that cause land and forest degradation in the Sahel and dry forests and woodlands of eastern and southern Africa and highlights some successful restoration practices, technologies and approaches. In the Sahel, enclosures are used to protect young growing trees while in East Africa are implemented on degraded, land as a mechanism for environmental rehabilitation with a clear biophysical impact. The choice of techniques for rehabilitating specific degraded areas depends first on the priorities and management objectives of stakeholders followed by the costs and benefits associated with available rehabilitation techniques and the economic, social, and environmental values of the land resources in their current and desired future states. In the Sahel, sustainable land management is considered as an imperative for their sustainable development and the practices include soil and water conservation activities and structures. In all regions, natural forest rehabilitation has used both natural and assisted regeneration to promote the growth of especially indigenous species through coppice regrowth and root suckers rather than seeds. Assisted regeneration was especially prevalent in the Sahel where indigenous tree species have been identified to dominate the degraded sites during early stages of secondary forest succession. The success of any rehabilitation activities depends on community-based natural resources management. In addition, the forest policies and their related policies need to be enabling in order to address issues of concern including (i) the full participation of communities; (ii) clear land and tree tenure and (iii) equitable benefit sharing.This paper draws primarily, but not exclusively, from a body of review articles commissioned by the African Forest Forum in 2012/2013, and covering several countries in Eastern and southern Africa and the Sahel.The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC),http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsfs202018-02-02hb2017Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Trees in the landscape : towards the promotion and development of traditional and farm forest management in tropical and subtropical regions

This introductory paper aims to synthesize the findings on on-farm trees research with the integration of traditional silvicultural knowledge on multipurpose trees for the design of small scale forestry practices in Africa and Asia. The science, socio-economics and governance aspects of traditional tree based management systems have been documented through the different papers. The findings provide a synopsis of on- farm tree management in Africa and Asia. The synthesis shows that there are still important knowledge gaps such as the ownership of land and trees, gender, the motivation to invest on farm trees, income and livelihood strategies and ecological issues of on farm trees in the context of climate change adaptation and sustainable development goals. There is a general consensus that successful implementation of community involvement in natural resource management in Africa and Asia will only be realized by implementing enabling policies on land tenure, devolution for full empowerment visa viz planning, beneficiation and sharing of benefits.http://link.springer.com/journal/104572017-08-30Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Revealing the predominance of culture over the ecological abundance of resources in shaping local people's forest and tree species use behavior : the case of the Vhavenda people, South Africa

The resurrection of the traditional socio-ecological knowledge system as a complimentary biodiversity conservation tool for poorly performing protected areas has fueled a new debate on what drives resource use behavior in forest landscapes. Using ecological assessment and ethno-botanical techniques, we tested whether culture or the ecological abundance of resources can su ciently explain the use behavior of traditional society for various livelihood-related utilities. Data were analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests. The two communities of the Vhavenda people had homogenous cultural values, despite the fact that they reside in di erent forest conditions. The use value of habitats increases along the land use intensity gradient, as defined by cultural norms and taboos. However, despite the presumed strictness of rules related to state-protected indigenous forest, it had the same use value as with open access resource use zones. Almost no resource harvesting from culturally protected (sacred) forests was reported. Species abundance did not su ciently explain their use value. Generally, the findings show that culture plays a predominant role in explaining use behavior. Neither is resource use decision random nor is the concept of protected areas a new concept to traditional society. Hence, capitalizing on the benefits of cultural assets in conservation action, through genuine partnership and the empowerment of local people, will ensure the sustainability of global biodiversity initiatives.Forest Programme at the University of Pretoria in South Africa through the South African Forest Company limited (SAFCOL) Forest Chair.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainabilitypm2020Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Forests, people and environment : some African perspectives

Forests in Africa support the livelihoods of millions of people through provision of timber and non-timber forest products, food and nutrition, energy and payment of environmental services. However, mismanagement of forests has resulted in deforestation and forest degradation, thereby contributing to the increased emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This special issue highlights some of the research outcomes presented at a pre-congress workshop organised by the African Forest Forum and partners at the 2015 World Forestry Congress. In this issue, the main drivers of land degradation are highlighted vis-à-vis population growth, agricultural expansion, climate variability, drought and energy needs. Promising traditional management practices are identified including age-old farmer-managed natural regeneration and exclosures. In addition, research presented indicates that age-old systems such as native non-browse shrubs in Ethiopia are important in that they facilitate regeneration of late-successional tree species. Furthermore, opportunities for using forests to mitigate climate change are highlighted with a case study on the economics associated with carbon markets. The issue also highlights the methodological challenges of quantifying carbon in African forests. The effect of climate change on threatened forest species and biodiversity in general is discussed, and the associated human disturbances impacting on the population structure of a threatened species, e.g. Afzelia africana in West Africa, is presented. The important role of non-timber forest products in income generation for the rural communities and the associated challenges of commercialisation is emphasised with examples from two important tree species: shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) and baobab (Adansonia digitata). Finally, the issue covers a people-centred approach in tree planting and management where studies demonstrated that there are still problems of poor participation of local communities due to poor implementation of enabling policies, lack of involvement in initial planning and subsequent lack of clear benefit-sharing mechanisms.This is a peer-reviewed overview for the special issue 'Forests, People and Environment: papers from the African Forest Forum workshop held on 4–5 September 2015 preceding the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban, South Africa', edited by PW Chirwa, M Larwanou and G Kowero.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsfs202018-03-27Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Monitoring of soil water content in maize rotated with pigeonpea fallows in South Africa

Maize production under smallholder systems in South Africa (RSA) depends on rainfall. Incidences of dry spells throughout the growing season have affected maize yields negatively. The study examined water distribution and water use efficiency (WUE) of maize rotated with two-year pigeonpea fallows as compared to continuous maize without fertilizer. A randomized complete block design, replicated three times, was used with four treatments, which included continuous unfertilized maize, natural fallow-maize, pigeonpea + grass-pigeonpea-maize, and two-year pigeonpea fallow-maize. Soil water mark sensors were installed 0.2; 0.5; and 1.2 m on each plot to monitor soil water tension (kPa). Soil samples were analyzed using pressure plates to determine water retention curves which were used to convert soil water tension to volumetric water content. Maize rotated with two-year pigeonpea fallows had higher dry matter yield (11,661 kg ha1) and WUE (20.78 kg mm1) than continuous maize (5314 kg ha1 and 9.48 kg mm1). In this era of water scarcity and drought incidences caused by climate change, maize rotated with pigeonpea fallows is recommended among smallholder farmers in RSA because of its higher WUE, hence food security will be guaranteed.Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC)http://www.mdpi.com/journal/wateram2021Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Genetic variation among and within provenances of Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) in seed germination and seedling growth from selected natural populations in Malawi

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L) trees have a wide variety of subsistence and economic values across sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of the genetic variation within and between the species is essential for management and designing domestication, improvement and conservation strategies. Fifty-nine half-sib families were evaluated in the nursery to determine the genetic variation and control within and between the populations from four silvicultural zones. Seed germination and seven seedling growth parameters were assessed. Total phenotypic variance, family variance, within family variance, individual narrow sense heritability, and additive genetic coefficient of variation (AGCV) were derived from observed and expected mean squares. There were highly significant differences in seed germination, plant height, root collar diameter, number of leaves, shoot height and diameter, tuber diameter and weight. Provenance variation in germination ranged from 46.7 ±3.3% to 68.7±3.3% while tree –to- tree variation ranged from 6.3±8.6% to 95.5±8.6%. Coefficient of variation in seedling growth variables ranged from 18.6% to 43.6%. Individual narrow sense heritabilities (h2) ranged from 0.07 to 0.71. AGCV ranged from 3.21% to 14.67%. Morphological traits showed that mainland populations were genetically distant from the island one. High and moderate additive genetic control of traits and AGCV show the potential that Baobab can also respond well to tree improvement. High phenotypic variation found in the study offers an opportunity to effect selection of superior attributes at both provenance and individual tree-to-tree level.Universities of Mzuzu and Stellenbosch.http://www.agronomy-journal.org/hb201

Disturbance impacts on the persistence niche of key species in the Baikiaea–Guibourtia–Pterocarpus woodlands of north-western Zimbabwe

Please read abstract in the article.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsfs20hj2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Traditional uses and local perspectives on baobab (Adansonia digitata) population structure by selected ethnic groups in northern Namibia

The aim of this study was to document local traditional uses on Adansonia digitata (baobab) among the Herero, Ovambo, San and Masubiya ethnic groups in northern Namibia. Data was collected by oral interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 64 respondents were interviewed. Indigenous knowledge on baobab is transferred from older generations to younger generations through word of mouth. The information that was captured includes local traditional use and benefits of baobab, use value, and perceptions on baobab population dynamics. Findings from the current study revealed that baobab uses go beyond provision of food, medicine and spiritual needs in Namibia. It is also used as feed for chicken. The bark was also recorded to be useful as fodder during drought. The fruit is the most used part of the baobab, but the use value of bark was generally high among all ethnic groups. The study revealed that the Ovambo people use more baobab products than the Herero, San and Masubiya communities. Destructive uses of seeds were identified as a factor contributing to the lack of regeneration of baobab. It is recommended that destructive uses of baobab, especially use of seeds, need to be regulated to sustainable levels for conservation of baobab in Namibia. Furthermore, the benefits from the baobab tree need to be promoted in order to fully utilize its potential in improving livelihoods of rural communities in Namibia.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/sajb2018-11-01hj2018Plant Production and Soil Scienc