NAIROBI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A pan-Africa forest forum held this week in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi ended Friday, with delegates reiterating the call for sustainable management of natural habitats to hasten the continent's transition to green and inclusive growth.
More than 70 participants including senior policymakers, scientists, industry executives and green campaigners attended the five-day forum convened by the Nairobi-based African Forest Forum (AFF). Among the key themes discussed at the forum was harnessing forest and tree-based ecosystem services to enhance climate resilience in Africa alongside spurring the growth of the timber industry in the continent.
Godwin Kowero, the AFF executive secretary, stressed that the continent was ready for accelerated green growth, subject to the enactment of policies that will promote sustainable use of its vast natural wealth like tropical forests, peatlands, mangrove swamps and savannah grasslands.
"As a continent, we can harness ecosystem services and goods provided by forests and trees outside forests to address poverty, food insecurity and secure a climate-resilient future for our communities," Kowero said.
Kowero said that a policy shift was long overdue to revitalize the management of tropical forests in the continent that is currently grappling with multiple threats including illegal logging, encroachment and wildfires.
James Ole Kiyiapi, a Kenyan researcher, said that given their immense role in carbon capture and storage, temperature regulation, flood control and soil regeneration, African forests are key to the attainment of net-zero targets, buffering communities from ravages linked to global warming.
African forests, estimated at 636,000 million hectares or 16 percent of the global total, can also sustain the livelihoods of climate-vulnerable local communities through the provision of timber, food, fiber and medicine, Kiyiapi added.
Marie Louise Avana, a senior program officer at the AFF, said that expanding forest cover in Africa through engaging local communities will boost the continent's quest for climate resilience and sustainable economic growth. Avana called for the enactment of legislation to deter encroachment of forests by farmers and industrial entities, saying that deforestation has worsened climatic vagaries, poverty and social tensions in Africa.
Besides illegal settlement, African forests are also reeling from pest and disease infestation, pollution and invasive species which undermine the crucial role of the forests in climate mitigation and adaptation, Avana noted. ■