Southern Africa’s Dryland Forests, Climate Change and the Water–Energy– Food Security Nexus

The document examines the critical role of dryland forests in Southern Africa, highlighting their vulnerability to deforestation and climate change. It proposes a 'nexus approach' to overcome the marginalisation of the forestry sector by demonstrating its interdependencies with water, energy, and food security. The author argues that integrated landscape management and multi-sectoral policy coordination can identify win-win solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation, such as agroforestry and payment for watershed services.

• Southern Africa has the highest rate of deforestation in Africa, with particularly high rates in Malawi and Zambia. The primary direct causes are land conversion for agriculture, infrastructure, or industry, and the extraction of timber, fuel wood, and charcoal.
• The forestry sector in Southern Africa is systematically marginalised, evidenced by low budget allocations, under-staffed departments, and the use of outdated technology. This is partly because its contributions to GDP are often negligible or invisible due to the informal nature of timber trade and the fact that ecosystem services are treated as free.
• Dryland forests are essential for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. While they store less carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests, their vast extent provides significant storage potential, offering opportunities for REDD+ and CDM projects.
• Climate change is projected to severely impact the Miombo region (including Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, southern Zambia, northern Namibia, and southern Angola), with expected temperature increases of 3–7 °C and rainfall decreases of up to 30% by 2080–2099.
• Forests facilitate climate adaptation through ecosystem-based services, such as controlling desertification, preventing soil erosion, and providing 'safety nets' like fodder from Miombo woodlands during dry periods when crops fail.
• The relationship between forests and water is complex: while plantations of thirsty or invasive alien species can reduce local water yield, forests generally enhance the water cycle and provide critical watershed services that protect against floods and erosion.
• Biomass energy (firewood and charcoal) meets 80–90% of residential energy needs for low-income households in much of sub-Saharan Africa. While firewood is often harvested sustainably, charcoal production in East and Southern Africa frequently leads to clear-cutting of commercial species.
• Forests support food security by providing direct nutrition (bush meat, fruits, honey) and essential micronutrients, and by supporting agricultural productivity through soil fertility and pollination.
• Integrated agroforestry and silvi-pastoralism are identified as highly suitable for drylands. For example, intercropping maize with Faidherbia species in West Africa, Zambia, and Malawi has been shown to double maize yields.

APA

du Preez, M.-L. (2014). Southern Africa’s Dryland Forests, Climate Change and the Water–Energy– Food Security Nexus. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-189.pdf

Chicago

du Preez, Mari-Lise. Southern Africa’s Dryland Forests, Climate Change and the Water–Energy– Food Security Nexus. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-189.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=du Preez |first1=Mari-Lise |title=Southern Africa’s Dryland Forests, Climate Change and the Water–Energy– Food Security Nexus |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-189.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupreez2014southern, author = {du Preez, Mari-Lise}, title = {{Southern Africa’s Dryland Forests, Climate Change and the Water–Energy– Food Security Nexus}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-189.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }