The potential African forests hold for the bioeconomy

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Africa’s forests hold huge potential to contribute to a sustainable bioeconomy.

“Africa’s forests and wooded land cover 36 per cent of the region, and forests already play a significant part in the livelihoods of the population by providing food, energy, medicine, building materials and income through harvested forest products,” said FAO Senior Forestry Officer Sven Walter.

“With the population expected to double by 2050, strategic action is needed to protect the region’s forests and sustainably expand forest production to safeguard the environment while meeting the growing demands of its population.”

Moving towards a forest-based bioeconomy

There are great opportunities for the wood processing industry, domestic ecotourism and its construction sector to use wood – which is renewable and actually stores carbon for its lifetime, helping to combat climate change – rather than concrete and steel, which have a heavier carbon footprint.

It is estimated that the region stands to make huge gains by 2050, including some one trillion US dollars added to the economy and 100 million new green jobs in wood processing, wood building and ecotourism, according to FAO.
 

However, for a successful transition to a forest-based bioeconomy, the sustainable management of both existing natural and planted forests and newly established forests will be necessary. This includes the restoration of forests and trees in landscapes and as part of agroforestry. This could contribute to creating carbon sinks through forest plantations on agricultural, degraded or open lands.

Despite the region’s efforts in biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management, its forest areas face the world’s highest deforestation rate, partly driven by agricultural expansion, animal husbandry, land-use shifts (formal and informal) and fuelwood collection. 

Sustainable forest management is key

To fully tap the opportunities provided by a forest-based bioeconomy, it is necessary to safeguard bioeconomy-related interventions against the potential creation of harm and to address possible challenges related to sustainable growth to ensure sustainable demand and supply of harvested forest products.

Solutions are needed to additional challenges presented by climate change – which affects forest growth and productivity – as well as by complex land tenure systems, limited technology used in forest value chains and a shortage of high-level skills needed.

“Sustainable forest management and the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy, including high-value products, offer the opportunity to decouple economic growth from conversion of forest to other land uses that may be seen as more profitable,” Walter told Rural 21. 

“This will be even more important as we expect growing global demand for forest products. It will be necessary to strive for continuous improvements in forest productivity and for efficiency in processing forest products, aiming to transform the forest sector in Africa towards higher-value products that can help address trade deficits and propel the development of the forest-based bioeconomy . 

“This includes the expansion of planted and plantation forests, addressing climate change and related risks and strengthening agricultural-forestry linkages to reduce competition with food production and biodiversity. Efforts will be required to increase investments in technologies and capacities for sustainable forest management, optimised silvicultural practices, sound sustainability certification schemes and efficient wood processing methods."

Barriers need to be overcome

To ensure sustainable and inclusive growth of the forest-based bioeconomy in Africa, a number of barriers need to be overcome, the report points out. These include: unsustainable harvesting from natural resources, which threatens the future supply of wood and NWFPs, the limited use of emerging technologies, limited access to skilled labour and unclear land tenure systems.

To further develop the forest-based bioeconomy in Africa, the necessary measures would include:

• establishing innovative public-private partnerships
• industrialising the wood industry
• developing sustainable plantations to supplement Africa’s wood deficit
• developing targeted bioeconomy policy and legislation
• transforming how wood energy is approached in Africa

(FAO/ile)

More information:

• Visit the FAO website
• Read the report Building a sustainable bioeconomy in Africa through forest products