Contribution of Forests and Trees to Environmental Health

Context

There is growing evidence that climate change is impacting not only on agriculture and food production but also increasingly on forests and forest ecosystems. Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change, particularly in the vast areas of marginal land where the livelihoods of farmers and forest dependent communities are threatened. Currently, not much is known about the resilience potential of African forests and trees and the diversity of forest types and conditions to adapt to the impacts of climate change. However, forests are not just threatened by climate change, they also hold an immense potential in mitigating against such change, both through reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially CO₂, by reducing deforestation, and by and by enhancement of carbon sequestration in expanded growing forest and tree biomass. Thus, both climate response and mitigation by forests and trees, and their interaction, need to be carefully assessed so that informed cross-sectoral strategies and measures can be put in place to promote the role of forests and trees in climate change programmes.

Biodiversity is an important resource for African people for both consumptive (food, fibre, fuel, shelter, medicine, wildlife trade) and non-consumptive (ecosystem services and the economically important tourism industry) purposes. Given the heavy dependence on natural resources in Africa, many communities are vulnerable to the biodiversity loss that currently occur at an alarming rate through conversion of forests to other land uses, extreme climate events, fires and poaching. Effective measures to protect and, preferably, restore already lost plant and animal biodiversity, and the ecosystems they form part of, must urgently be put in place.

Water resources in Africa, their quantities, quality and seasonal availability for human and animal consumption and for agriculture, are strongly related to forest environments. Virtually all major rivers and streams emanate from forested or other wooded areas. Deforestation leads to uneven flow and to erosion and, thereby, reduced water quality. The role of forested watersheds cannot be over-emphasised.