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Book (stand-alone)Sustainable management of Miombo woodlands
Food security, nutrition and wood energy
2018Also available in:
No results found.The Miombo woodland is a vast African dryland forest ecosystem covering close to 2.7 million km2 across southern Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The woodlands are characterized by the dominance of Brachystegia species, either alone or in association with Julbernardia and Isoberlinia species. It is estimated that the woodlands – through their numerous goods and services which include various non-wood forest products (NWFPs) (e.g. insects, mushrooms, fruits, tubers, medicine, fodder, honey, seeds) and woodfuels, which, for simplicity, will be referred to as non-timber forest products, or NTFPs, throughout the publication – sustain the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural poor and 50 million urban people. The charcoal sector alone employs vast numbers of rural people and offers additional income to many poor rural families. Communities moreover rely directly on the woodlands for food and nutrition. NWFPs add vital micro- and macronutrients to local diets and contribute to diversified food systems, while woodfuel is essential for cooking and sterilizing, thus ensuring proper nutrient absorption and providing clean water for drinking. Forests and trees, if managed sustainably, are an important source of resilience for rural people in the Miombo woodlands, supporting households to absorb and recover from climatic or economic calamities and contributing to resolving the underlying causes of food insecurity, undernutrition and poverty by providing nutritious edible products and woodfuel for cooking in addition to conserving biodiversity and water resources, buffering extreme weather conditions and preventing land degradation and desertification. Generally speaking, it is now accepted that forests managed for both timber and NTFPs retain more biodiversity and resilience than forests managed solely for one aspect, e.g. timber and exotic timber plantations. However, a growing population in high need of agricultural land and unsustainable use and overharvesting of natural resources in parts of the Miombo woodlands, combined with climate change impacts (e.g. drought, fires), leave insufficient time for many trees and associated species to regenerate naturally, posing a serious threat to the products and services of the woodlands, and to the livelihoods depending on them. Compounding the problem and hindering development of the Miombo ecosystem, are: i) lack of an enabling policy environment; ii) unsustainable management; iii) limited willingness and ability to pay for and access to energy-efficiency technologies; iv) inadequate awareness and information, including technical capacity; v) high poverty levels; and vi) limited access to microcredit facilities. With the Committee on World Food Security’s endorsement of the recommendations presented in the High Level Panel of Experts Report on Sustainable Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition in late 2017 – which include promoting multifunctional landscapes, integrated food-forestry systems, and research on associated linkages, among other things – forests and trees are expected to play a greater role in future land-use decisions and related policies. This paper provides an overview of these linkages in the context of the Miombo woodlands, in the hope that future land use, policy decisions and financial investments are shaped to support the contributions of forests and trees to the health and livelihoods of communities in the ecoregion. The following key messages were formulated: • Forests and trees, if managed sustainably, are an important source of resilience for rural people in the Miombo woodlands, supporting households to absorb and recover from climatic or economic calamities and contributing to resolving the underlying causes of food insecurity, undernutrition and poverty by providing nutritious edible products and woodfuel for cooking in addition to conserving biodiversity and water resources, buffering extreme weather conditions and preventing land degradation and desertification. • Current data bases referring to the value of the Miombo must be analysed and used as evidence to improve policy-making. • Miombo woodlands may be dominant (spatially), but they have not been addressed as a single unit but as part of the region’s forests. They form part of the overall forestry strategies and no specific mention in the conventions does not suggest that their importance is underplayed. • The management of Miombo will require some changes in management structures, especially in providing benefits emerging from trade in forest products to local managers. • Local forest managers should play a greater role in allocating resources for feedstock for charcoal production. -
ArticleThe farmer with agroforestry practices might be the “next forester”?
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.The main tropical Agro-Forestry Systems (AFS) are often complex, multi-stage and multi-species. Apart from home gardens intended for self-consumption, AFS are often based on a main crop with economic, or export value: rubber, coconut, cocoa, coffee, cloves, vanilla, damar, durian... with also local fruit trees, fast-growing fuelwood trees and timber trees for self-consumption or sale. This diversification in AFS focused on industrial crops, often comes after a period of deforestation since the end of the 19th century during the period of the colonial empires. Wood can also come from species used for services such as providing shade for coffee or cocoa trees. Wood species are also common in the local forest (Indonesia/Thailand), reflecting farmers' strategy of conserving local resources. In other cases, native species have almost entirely disappeared (e.g. clove AFS on the East Coast of Madagascar) in favor of introduced species. Sometime, the main crop is also a timber specie such a rubber (used for furniture), Durian, Litchi... Now that most forests have almost disappeared in central plains with easy access in Southeast Asia (with potential commercial value), timber from AFS is becoming a real challenge that depends mainly on tree tenure and local regulation. Today, the current demand for tropical wood has decreased considerably since the golden age of deforestation (1980/2010) due to resource depletion and a global demand towards products from dedicated plantations from Europe or elsewhere. The market has changed from a massive use of tropical timber for multiple purposes to a limited use for specific purposes. In this context, timber in AFS, often produced at marginal cost, can be an alternative to produce valuable timber. We consider in this sense that the farmer in tropical regions with agroforestry practices might be the “forester of the future”. Beside, AFS with timber might significantly contribute to positive externalities and eco- systemic services for a better sustainability. Keywords: agroforestry, forester, timber, diversification. ID 3639413 -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetForests and wood products propelling a low-carbon future. Poster
Integrating forests and wood products in climate change strategies
2016Also available in:
No results found.The FAO Forestry Paper 177 ‘Forestry for a low-carbon future: Integrating forests and wood products in climate change strategies’ released in July 2016 was produced through the online collaboration of 113 experts worldwide. This Forestry paper provides illustrations of how trees in a "virtuous cycle" not only remove carbon during their life time but continue to store it in wood products. The Forestry Paper’s approach of integratin g forests and wood products based mitigation is unique and relevant in the context of cross-sectoral approaches in the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Forests are mentioned in the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to mitigation of more than 100 countries. Value chains of wood, for example wood-based building materials and biomass for energy, help to avoid fossil fuel emissions through substitution effects. Such roles of sustainably-produced wood are less-recognized widely, but are equally significant for mitigation as made clearer in this Forestry Paper. The Forestry paper indicates how households and consumers can contribute to mitigation through the use of sustainably-sourced wood and thereby help to expand a low-carbon economy. Interest in the publication is expected to grow beyond policymakers and climate change experts to engineers, architects and designers, where it could serve as an important resource for planning and energy sect or development. The booklet ‘Forests and wood products propelling a low carbon future’ showcases some key messages from the Forestry paper using infographics.
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