Securing Multifunctional Landscapes in Africa: What Is the Future Policy, Research and Development Direction?

Rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face livelihood challenges due to limited opportunities, and increasing dependency on vulnerable landscapes. These challenges are exacerbated by population growth and the consequent ecological footprint, primarily driven by agricultural expansion, leading to significant landscape changes thus affecting tropical forests and semi-arid environments. This book explores the concept of multifunctional landscapes and tree-based ecosystem approaches, highlighting the need for employing sustainable landscape management practices to maximize ecosystem services and ensure equitable benefit distribution. The book details how the integration of traditional and contemporary agroforestry practices enhances local food security and nutrition, health care provision, and income, identifying a diversity of tree species/taxonomic groups of interest. It emphasizes the role of trees in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and restoration of degraded landscapes while addressing the socio-economic challenges of landscape management. Key tree-based ecosystem management practices such as tree domestication, natural regeneration of trees, assisted or enrichment planting, fire management, sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and agroforestry systems and technologies, are discussed to provide a basis for innovation in integrating trees in multifunctional landscapes in different biophysical contexts across SSA. Ways of overcoming various ecological and socio-economic challenges of landscape management are also discussed, including biocontrol strategies against invasive species and approaches for quality tree germplasms provisioning. The book underscores the need to integrate scientific and indigenous knowledge, and develop adaptive policy and governance to support sustainable landscape management while fostering cultural resilience. It emphasizes the critical role of landscape-scale interventions and large-scale stakeholders’ collaboration through the Community-based natural resource management approach. Notably, the book recognizes the importance of establishing incentives to bolster community engagement, essential to achieving sustainable outcomes. Future research directions identified include (i) deepening the understanding of ecosystem services provided by trees and the underlying functional traits, (ii) developing innovative practices for sustainable agroforestry practices, (iii) promoting climate-smart agriculture, and (iv) developing more rigorous approaches in assessing both the socio-economic benefits of trees in SSA and the efficacy of policy interventions for sustainable landscape management. By prioritizing holistic and collaborative approaches, stakeholders can ensure the resilience and vitality of SSA’s landscapes, thereby supporting rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation for future generations.