Agroforestry in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+): Africa, where are you?

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Date

2015

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Publisher

Eckhard A. & Maxi D. (eds.)

Abstract

This paper highlights the position of agroforestry in post-Kyoto arrangements, particularly the mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It summarizes the prospects to mitigate global climate change and adaptation, especially in Africa, where the majority of agroforestry systems occur. Since long agroforestry is known as a management approach to sustain farms and landscapes, enhance livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and to promote biodiversity conservation, particularly in the tropics. This is possible by constant supply of multiple important goods and services, and by increasing land productivity and rural incomes. However, the importance of agroforestry has received recently high attention from both industrialized and developing countries. It provides sustainable and low-cost opportunities to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) concentrations in the atmosphere, and as natural adaptation measure to climate change effects. Current global prediction models show that area under agroforestry management will increase substantially. Thus, it reveals even more opportunity to capture and store CO 2 (C sequestration) and to enhance GHGs sinks. In conclusion, this paper highlighs efforts to incorporate agroforestry into national REDD+ strategies in Africa.

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Keywords

Agroforestry, Greenhouse gases, Carbon sequestration, REDD+, Co-benefits

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