INVESTING IN TREES AND LANDSCAPE ... - PROFOR

at first seemed modest, when adjusted for rising atmospheric CO 2 levels and nitrogen deposition,
NPP analysis found that human activity has negatively affected productivity on 5.91 million km 2
(about one fourth) of Sub-Saharan Africa, divided nearly equally among arid, semi-arid, sub-humid,
and humid zones. Land degradation is most prevalent in agricultural areas (1 million km 2 , or 31
percent of all agricultural lands); woodland/shrubland (1.6 million km 2 , or 28 percent of such
lands); and grassland (0.95 million km 2 , or 17 percent of such lands). It is less prevalent in forest/
crop mosaics (0.25 million km 2 , or 31 percent of such lands); forest/savanna (0.28 million km 2 , or
41 percent of such lands); and dense forest (0.47 million km 2 , or 12 percent of such lands). The
most degraded areas are the southern margin of the Sahara Desert and a patchwork of degraded
lands throughout West Africa; scattered pockets in all the East African nations; much of Madagascar;
and a distinct band along the west coast of southern Africa, including coastal areas of Namibia.
Landscape Restoration for Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are the functions and benefits humans receive from natural and managed
ecosystems. A major rationale for landscape restoration in Africa is to restore and enhance these
ecosystem services, which are critical for smallholder rural livelihoods as well as for the sustainability
and profitability of a wide range of business sectors, from agriculture to beverage bottling to tourism.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment defined four categories of ecosystem services (MEA 2005):
• Provisioning services, including wild and domesticated foods, pharmaceuticals, biomass fuels,
and water for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower.
• Regulating services, including crop pollination, natural pest and disease control, water purification,
and carbon sequestration.
• Supporting services, including nutrient cycling and basic biological primary production.
• Cultural services, including landscape beauty and recreational opportunities.
Each of these provides both economic and noneconomic benefits to private business, private land
and resource managers (e.g., farmers), and society as a whole. For instance, restoring vegetative
cover on farmlands, rangeland, and forest captures rainfall more effectively and slows the flow of
water across the surface of the land, enabling it to infiltrate the soil into aquifers while reducing
erosion of productive topsoil. Such actions regulate the flow of water for human and productive use,
recharge groundwater reserves, and improve water quality. In a resource-constrained world, reliable
flows of ecosystem services are increasingly critical to the business models of a wide range of
industries and sectors. Ecosystem services such as water supply and purification, production of wood
fuel, crop pollination, and landscape beauty are the basis for inputs, raw materials, and conducive
environmental conditions that many industries need to ensure reliable production processes, control
costs, manage risk, and pursue profitability. In many cases, the contribution of ecosystem services to
businesses’ bottom lines (in terms of enhanced revenue, reduced costs, or lower risk) is substantial.
For example, wild pollinators are estimated to contribute $190 billion per year to agricultural output,
while overall sustainability-related business opportunities may be worth $2–$6 trillion worldwide by
2050 (TEEB 2010).
Recent work to quantify the monetary value of ecosystem services is helping business leaders
incorporate these services in their business models and planning. According to a 2009 survey, 45
percent of CEOs in Africa are either “extremely” or “somewhat” concerned about biodiversity loss
and its effects on growth prospects (the global average was 27 percent). Biodiversity and ecosystem
Chapter 2. WHERE DO PRIVATE MARKET INCENTIVES CONVERGE WITH LANDSCAPE RESTORATION GOALS?
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