INVESTING IN TREES AND LANDSCAPE ... - PROFOR

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TREE-BASED AND OTHER LAND
MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR
LANDSCAPE RESTORATION AND
LIVELIHOOD IN AFRICA
Frank Place
Oluyede C. Ajayi
Eliot Masters
World Agroforestry Centre
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The main objective of this chapter is to present an overview of key tree and
landscape restoration investment opportunities for Africa. The chapter is broad in
scope, examining a variety of technologies applicable to the different climatic zones
of Africa. 1 The terms “trees” and “tree-based technologies” as used here refer to a
wide spectrum of systems and associated species in which trees play a critical role.
Often, the main product is a tree product—directly harvested or derived—such as
wood, gum, or fruit. In other cases, the trees may provide an input into the major
product, such as tree fodder for milk, tree nectar for honey, or tree leaves for crops.
Environmental services from trees in larger systems are an added benefit to be
considered.
“Landscape restoration” covers a wide range of practices that enrich the quality of
the land resource and provide additional environmental benefits, such as watershed
protection and biodiversity. The practices described may be applied in a number
of different land use types, such as forests, woodlands, rangelands, and farmlands.
The word “landscape” conveys the notion of large scale, thus landscape restoration
involves a significant area. Restoration at scale can be achieved by a single investor
or a community, and possibly through a single management plan or investment.
However, in many African contexts, restoration reflects a combination of individual
and collective investments on the part of a large number of rural residents, as in
the regreening of parklands in Niger Republic.
This chapter has the following specific major objectives:
1. Provide information about tree-based and other sustainable
land management (SLM) technologies that provide significant
economic or ecological benefits (e.g., soil health, water flows)
and thus form important components of both private investment
and land restoration strategies.
2. Highlight technologies that can provide both economic and
ecological benefits.
3. Provide information on demand and supply trends that shape
incentives for private investment in these technologies.
Chapter 1. TREE-BASED AND OTHER LAND MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR LANDSCAPE RESTORATION AND LIVELIHOOD IN AFRICA
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