The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, says that increasing forest disappearances cost Africa an annual loss of 3% of GDP. According to it, 60% of Africans depend on land and forests.
The information appears in another release of the 2021 edition of the Africa Forest and Landscape Restoration Journal, launched by FAO during Climate Week, which also coincided with the United Nations Ecosystem Decade.
The magazine indicates that more than 65% of productive land is degraded and desertification affects 45% of African territory. This at a time when the general trend is downward, with 4 million forest hectares disappearing each year.
Drylands are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and their restoration is a priority for adaptation and building resilient and sustainable food systems.
FAO forestry expert Nora Berrahmouni says that restoring lost forests and landscapes is of great benefit to food production, building resilience, and reducing disaster risks.
The projects reviewed by FAO have a strong climate change dimension, which not only aim to reduce carbon emissions, but also to create jobs and reduce the vulnerability of rural people to food insecurity.
Solutions to follow
Berrahmouni, who is also one of the authors of the study, advised African countries and partners to increase efforts in forest and landscape restoration as a viable solution to global warming.
She added that although it is a long-term process, it is a sustainable and forward-looking solution.
The expert stated that "degraded forest landscapes intensify the effects of climate change and are a barrier to building thriving and resilient communities."
The continent is known to have 1 billion hectares of dry land, of which 393 million need renewal in Africa's Great Green Areas.
The AFR100 partnership has committed 31 African governments to restore 100 million hectares by 2030.
Africa is estimated to have an additional 132 million hectares of degraded arable land, which combined with climate change, makes millions more vulnerable.
The report identifies local ownership, high-level political support, and access to finance as crucial to success.
Source UN News