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Towards Sustainable Management and Development of Tropical Secondary Forests in Anglophone Africa: The Nairobi Proposal for Action

Year of publication 2003

Author Office of Assistant Director-General (Forestry Department)

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Secondary forests - defined as forests which have developed after significant disturbance (see chapter II) - are increasingly prominent features in tropical landscapes, and in many countries the surface area covered by them is far greater than that of primary forests. In Africa there may be as much as 90 million to 313.3 million ha of secondary forest, depending on the definition used. This represents between 6.4 % and 22.3 % of the world's tropical forest. Secondary forests provide a variety of products and services that can contribute to improving socio-economic conditions particularly in rural areas, watershed protection, combating soil run-off and erosion, and commercial timber and NWFP production. If secondary forests are managed well they may - under favourable framework conditions - relieve the pressure on remaining primary forests, thereby effectively conserving biodiversity and genetic resources. More recently, the potential of this resource to sequester carbon from the atmosp here has become an important topic, and is discussed at international fora around the world. In order to realize the potential of secondary forests we need to manage them in a sustainable manner. Unfortunately the management of this resource has received insufficient attention at local, national and international levels. More focus is needed on the socio-economic factors responsible for secondary forest formation, the interactions of secondary forests with other land-use types (farmers' crop and livestock production systems), and the environmental benefits this resource can provide. Particularly the translation to well formulated policies backed by adequate legal regulations and a supportive institutional framework is needed. It is within this context that a series of regional workshops (Tropical America, Asia and Africa) were developed.

Language English

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    Tropical secondary forests are those forests that have developed after clearance (usually by humans) of the original natural forest. Although not appearing as such in statistics, tropical secondary forests occur throughout the tropics, including Africa, and the area is extensive and increasing rapidly. Tropical secondary forests are usually an integral part of local and regional land use and production systems and inhabited by communities who are usually poor in economic resources but possess a wealth of traditional knowledge and practical experience in using and managing these forests. If properly managed and developed, this type of forest may provide valuable and numerous ecological and economic services and are important for rural development, biological conservation, restoring site productivity and relieving pressure on undisturbed forests, and hence are important in sustainable development. Despite their extent, importance and potential for being managed, tropical secondary forest s are nationally and internationally largely invisible in current forest statistics, policy and planning, as well as in forest research. In particular, the situation of tropical secondary forests in Africa is less clear; their status and importance have hardly been explored and documented systematically. So far, management of secondary forests has not been given significant attention in most African countries with the result that secondary forests are not part of forest management systems. Never theless, in various countries of the continent, interest in secondary forests is emerging and valuable research and development has been initiated.
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    Recommendation from the participants at the side meeting on tropical secondary forests at the XIth World Forestry Congress, Antalya, Turkey 2004
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    We, the participants, attending the Side Meeting on Tropical Secondary Forests supported by the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the Amazon Co-operation Treaty (PTS-ACT) and the Central American Council of Forests and Protected Areas (CACF-PA) at the Eleventh World Forestry Congress held from October 11 - 23, 1997 in Antalya, Turkey: Defining Tropical Secondary Forest as forests which have developed after clearance (usually by humans); Being aware that - though not appearing as such in stati stics - Tropical Secondary Forests occur throughout the Tropics, and their area is extensive and increasing rapidly; Conscious of the importance of Tropical Secondary Forests as an integral part of the local and regional land use and production systems and inhabited by communities who are usually poor in economic resources, but possess a wealth of traditional knowledge and practical experience on using and managing these forests...
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