Dry forests play an important role in preventing land degradation and desertification, conserving biodiversity and providing ecosystem goods and services and mitigating and adapting to climate change and the impacts of drought. To make use of the promising potential of forests and agroforestry schemes in arid areas they need to be fully included in the REDD+ mechanism with a special focus on the co-benefits.

Soil carbon is important for soil structure and related nutrient and water holding properties. Increasing soil carbon stocks results in improved crop growth and contributes to enhanced climate resilience. In addition, the increase in soil organic carbon through sustainable agricultural land management (SALM) practices, such as the use of cover crops, residue management and agroforestry, will also reduce the need for synthetic nitrogen fertiliser at a given level of crop production.

In the highly populated and diverse tropics, conservation in relatively pristine habitats is important but clearly inadequate for sustaining the earth biological diversity. Agro-forestry systems such as shade-coffee plantations that incorporate arboreal vegetation are known to be more resilient for biodiversity conservation than other more drastic land transformations.

In many Asian countries, communities and smallholders are faced with barriers to exercising their tenure rights and to making a living from selling timber and other forest products. This study puts forward an effort to respond to the issue of restrictions, in the form of regulatory barriers, in the pursuit of sustainable forest management.

Seasonal changes and ambiguity in property rights over land and natural resources create conflicts in rural communities in eastern Zambia. This study describes how rural households have minimized such conflicts and protect the economic interests of the poor members of the community through collective agreements on how to manage access to land and natural resources. Specifically, this study describes and evaluates the formulation and implementation of bylaws governing the grazing of animals and the setting of bush fires.

Este estudo fornece uma visão geral do contexto de REDD+ em Moçambique através de uma síntese do conhecimento actual das principais causas da mudança de carbono florestal, uma revisão do quadro legal e institucional, e uma descrição do processo político actual de REDD+. O objectivo é reunir dados e informações pertinentes, e oferecer uma análise preliminar dos aspectos fundamentais a ter em conta para políticas de REDD+ eficazes, eficientes e equitativas.

This study offers an overview of the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) context in Mozambique through a synthesis of current knowledge about the causes of forest carbon changes, a review of the legal and institutional context and a description of the current political process of REDD+.

What do opportunity costs mean in the context of REDD+ and what are the implications for local communities? Farmers intuitively know the importance of opportunity costs. To tackle deforestation in a socially equitable way, we must consider what the drivers of deforestation are and what incentives and livelihood opportunities accompany them.

Les Pygmées ont intégré les pratiques culturales et les connaissances des Non-pygmées relatives à l’agriculture itinérante sur brûlis mais semblent également avoir mobilisé des savoirs propres concernant le sol et le fonctionnement de la forêt.