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In Africa, much as the forestry sector joined the debate on climate change fairly late, significant achievements for the sector have been made.
These debates have succeeded in profiling the sector at all levels and also in mobilizing attention and resources for the sector to address the climate change important issues, and more specifically those related to reducing deforestation and degradation, enhancing carbon stocks, improving the protection of forests, and enhancing sustainable management of forest resources; issues constituting REDD+ |
AFF has worked on climate change issues related to forests, trees and wildlife resources on the continent. The results from this effort have been compiled in the form of a book with the title Climate Change and African Forest and Wildlife Resources. This book is, therefore, timely in that it highlights to all stakeholders, and in a systematic manner, the climate change issues relevant to the African forestry and wildlife sectors, with the view of increasing these sectors’ contribution, at various levels and fora, and to addressing the vagaries of climate change. The book also outlines the opportunities that climate change brings to the sectors.
The book is organized into five sections. Section 1 presents climate change in the global and African context by looking at a few key areas, including the physical processes of climate change, a review on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in the African forestry and wildlife sectors, and a review of the international debate on climate change and how Africa features in it. Climate change in African forests is the subject of Section 2. This includes climate change issues related to moist forests, woodlands and savannas, and those specific to the Sahel. In addition, institutional and governance arrangements that would be necessary for identified interventions in these eco-zones are discussed.
Section 3 presents an overview of climate change on African wildlife resources as found in moist forests, woodlands and savannas and the Sahel. Again institutional and governance arrangements that would be necessary for identified interventions in these eco-zones are discussed. Socio-economic and policy considerations are presented in Section 4. They include aspects of community based adaptation to climate change, how climate change features in the socio-economic life of the African people, including specific issues related to gender, carbon trade and markets, policy and other approaches to climate change in African forests, trees, and wildlife resources. Section 5 summarizes some key observations from the various sections. This could be a good section for those who have no time to read the whole book or just want to have a quick overview of the issues in the book before delving into details in the various chapters.