Centre on African Public Spaces’ Post

Urban forests play a crucial role in building resilient, healthy, and equitable cities across Africa, addressing pressing concerns such as rapid urbanization, climate change, and economic challenges. Tomorrow, on the last day of the inaugural #AfricaUrbanForum, our key founding partner, the City of Johannesburg will host a two-hour side session titled: "Harnessing Urban Forests for Sustainable and Resilient African Cities: Paving the Way for the 2nd Regional Urban Forestry Gathering in Africa." The session presents a vital opportunity to explore the transformative potential of urban forests in achieving sustainable urban development goals and Africa Agenda 2063 aspirations and aims to lay the groundwork for the 2nd African Urban Forum on Urban Forests (AFUF) slated to take place in Johannesburg from 18-21 March 2025. We’re delighted to be co-organising this event with City of Johannesburg, FAO and UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) Thank you to the South African Local Government Association for moderating the session and much gratitude to the World Resources Institute and ICLEI Africa for all your support in ensuring a succesful event. Established by the African Union and member states, the #AfricaUrbanForum is a continental platform that promotes sustainable development in African human settlements. It is a platform through which governments collaborate to enhance African cities, enabling them to fulfill their potential as centers of hope, growth, and prosperity. The inaugural #AfricaUrbanForum 2024 (4-6 September) is taking place at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Find out more here https://lnkd.in/diZpT9C7 or via the link in our bio. To join the conversation and view streamed presentations follow theAfrican Union Commission #agenda2063 #newurbanagenda #africanpublicspaces #urbanafrica #africanurbanisation #africaurbanisation #urbanforestry #naturebasedsolutions

The 2nd African Forum on Urban Forests (AFUF) is set for 18-21 March 2025 in Johannesburg. #AFUF needs your contribution on any aspect of urban forestry, including street trees, parks and urban forests like #Karura in #Nairobi. Our interest is cities, towns, and villages, and we are looking for examples of urban tree growing and conservation that can be replicated or learned from and might inspire others. Are you a #town #planner? Do you run a city tree #nursery? Do you work at an NGO #regreening a neighborhood for shade? Are you an #architect integrating indigenous trees into the landscaping of malls? Are you teaching #urban forestry in an African university? We want to hear from you. We favor non-jargony accessible writing. If you have research to share, kindly focus more on results and what they mean rather than methodology and tools. We are interested in practice and policy and what is happening across Africa. Submit a summary here https://lnkd.in/dtD-43-y if you want to give a presentation or poster. The deadline can bend. If you have a case study that you would like to see published in a book, write to me at cathyhwatson@gmail.com and aroji@jhbcityparks.com and we will send you a template. The Forum looks forward to hearing from you! We particularly need submissions from #SADC countries like #Zambia, #Botswana, #Zimbabwe, #Lesotho. As yet we have nothing from #Cote d’Ivoire, #Sierra Leone and #Senegal. We are looking at you and know you are out there. Cheikh Mbow Simone Borelli Padde Daniel Kounkuey Design Initiative Ayanda Roji Jessica Thorn Cecil Konijnendijk Tunde Morakinyo Evans Lyndon Baines-Johnson Stephen M. Mureithi Kate Chesebrough Alice Gerow pls spread the word.

Since 2015, Wetlands International has been working with #communities in and around Cacheu and Cantanhez national parks. We have worked with over 3,000 community members, national park staff, and local NGOs to restore over 2,600 hectares of #mangroves across abandoned rice fields by implementing the 'Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR)' approach. The video presents a closer look at the majestic #mangrove forests of Guinea-Bissau and at our on-ground efforts. Our approach prioritises supporting natural #regeneration. To reduce the pressure on restored and existing hashtag #mangroves, we assist over 2,500 community members in developing sustainable #livelihoods and improving #dykes for existing active rice fields. Our efforts have also enhanced the conservation of 96,000 hectares of mangroves in Cacheu National Park. 🌱 👉 To learn more about ecological mangrove restoration, also check our 'Best Practice Guidelines for Mangrove Restoration - https://lnkd.in/e-NT7iCy 👉 Explore and learn more about our work in Guinea-Bissau here - https://lnkd.in/gqhXDQPf #MangroveRestoration #Conservation #Ecology #BestPractices #ClimateAction #NaturebasedSolutions #IMCRC

🌍 Exploring Pakistan’s Diverse Soil Landscape 🌍 Here's a soil map of Pakistan, showcasing the wide variety of soil types that shape the country’s agricultural potential and natural ecosystems. From fertile alluvial plains to rugged mountainous soils, each region supports distinct vegetation, land use, and farming practices. Understanding these soil types is crucial for sustainable agriculture, environmental conservation, and land management in Pakistan. 🔎 Key Soil Types: Ao (Alluvial soils): Fertile soils found along river basins, ideal for crop cultivation. Be (Brown Earths): Well-drained soils supporting diverse agricultural uses. GL (Glacial soils): Found in the northern areas, influencing mountainous ecosystems. Rc, WR, Xh, Xk, Yh, Zg, and more: Each soil type represents unique characteristics tailored to the region’s geography and climate. 📊 This map serves as a valuable tool for researchers, policymakers, and farmers aiming to optimize land use and promote sustainable growth in Pakistan. #SoilScience #Geography #Pakistan #SustainableAgriculture #LandManagement #EnvironmentalConservation #GIS #Mapping

🌳Land Use Change and the Structural Diversity of Affem Boussou Community Forest in the Tchamba 1 Commune (Tchamba Prefecture, Togo) 👉https://lnkd.in/g5TqThRi Keywords: #LandUseChanges; zoning; community #forest; #resilience; #Togo 🧐Abstract: Affem Boussou community forest (AFC) abounds in important biological resources. This study, which contributes to its better management, examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of the vegetation and its ecological and structural characteristics to propose a zoning plan for said forest. The analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use in the AFC from Google Earth images of 2015, 2018, and 2021 revealed a regressive trend of formations: crops and fallows (−33.98%), dense dry forests (−7.92%), gallery forests (−3.46%), plantations (−100%), grassy savannahs, and meadows (−18.84%), except for tree/shrub savannahs (484.23%). The floristic inventory identified 163 species divided into 129 genera and 55 families. Fabaceae (14.02%), and Combretaceae (10.55%) are the most represented families. Anogeissus leiocarpa (5.19%) and Vitellaria paradoxa (4.72%) are the most frequent species. We note the dominance of individuals of small diameters. The regeneration potential of the AFC is 64 feet/ha due to 21 feet/ha of suckers, 29 feet/ha of seedlings, and 14 feet/ha of shoots. As a zoning plan, the AFC was subdivided into four zones: the agroforestry zone (18.80%), the sustainable production forest zone (42.22%), the buffer zone (11%), and the biological conservation zone (28%). These results constitute a scientific basis for testing ecological indicators of the sustainable management of community forests in Togo.

BE PART OF YOUR HUB'S FOUR-YEAR PLAN The #SNSWInnovationHub is inviting interested individuals and organisations to join hub partners and help define project priorities for the 2024-2028 period. Any interested person can nominate to join our design teams and help set project priorities across six key Impact Areas: 1. Social and Cultural Resilience 2. First Nations Community Resilience 3. Enhancing and Preserving the Natural Environment 4. Ground and Canopy Cover 5. Soil Health 6. Water and Water Use The final design teams will receive practical facilitation support to identify needs, knowledge gaps and potential projects for their Impact Area. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SAY in how the hub develops #droughtresilience for Southern NSW, email your name, organisation (if applicable) and Impact Area(s) of interest to southernnswhub@csu.edu.au Nominations close on Friday, 24th May 2024. Visit https://loom.ly/uc_Sbwo for more information. #farminginnovators #farmingforthefuture Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry #futuredroughtfund

The DRC stands out once again as a model in Central and Francophone Africa for #Inclusive reforms in the #Governance of Natural Resources. Since yesterday, the Government of the DRC has begun to develop its National Conservation Strategy Outside Protected Areas. Millions of Congolese have been displaced from their traditional lands in the name of conservation. However, as recent research shows, the greatest threats do not come from the communities that have coexisted peacefully with the ecosystems of these lands for millennia. Rather, they come from commercial-scale agriculture, extractive industries, industrial logging, emissions from industrial projects, and sometimes even from the very people charged with protecting them. Indigenous peoples and local communities claim customary rights to around 86% of the DRC's land area, and much of the country's remaining biodiversity is located within these lands and territories. This is no coincidence, but the result of #Community-#Led conservation. In the DRC, #Securing #Collective #Land rights through participatory mapping of community land, community forestry, restoration of degraded land, revitalization of indigenous knowledge, local land agreements and support for livelihoods all contribute to reducing deforestation, and appear to be the way forward for achieving the #30% #Nature #Conservation target by 2030.

Rwanda’s Eastern Province’s Landscape Restoration Initiatives TREPA project: With funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and accredited to International Union for Conservation of Nature- IUCN, the project “Transforming Eastern Province through adaptation” (TREPA) aims to achieve a paradigm shift in #land management practices in #Rwanda’s Eastern Province from #landscapes that are degraded, fragile and unable to sustain #livelihoods in the face of #climate change to restored #ecosystems and landscapes through building #community resilience to enhance livelihoods, food, and water security of the most vulnerable rural population. By planting millions of #trees across the province, TREPA seeks to restore vital ecosystems, mitigate #climate change, and create sustainable habitats for various #species. The project is jointly executed by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Environment represented by RWANDA FORESTRY AUTHORITY (RFA) in collaboration with IUCN, Enabel, CIFOR-ICRAF, World Vision and Cordaid. So far, #TREPA has started restoring 60,000 ha of drought-degraded landscapes into climate resilient ecosystems through reforestation, #agroforestry, #restoration of pasturelands, and erosion control measures in 7 districts of the Eastern Province of Rwanda, namely #Kirehe, #Kayonza, #Gatsibo, #Rwamagana, #Nyagatare, #Ngoma as well as #Bugesera districts. The project is massively using community-led associations ( women and youth) as part of increasing ownership of local communities in the landscapes of the project. ---------- Invest in #Rwanda, the home of #EnvironmentalManagement and #Conservation.

Through the Darwin Grant Project, the Mount Kenya Trust has been able to support ten community tree nurseries this month by providing essential resources, including propagation bags, forest soil, seeds, and nursery equipment such as jembes, wheelbarrows, hosepipes, rakes, shade nets, dam liners, and gumboots. This five-year project aims to enhance ecological and socio-economic resilience in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro North Ecosystems. These beneficiaries are part of the 21 groups trained in Community Tree Nursery establishment and management. In August, MKT successfully concluded training for 218 participants, equipping them with advanced nursery techniques. The newly supplied nursery equipment will enable these groups to apply the skills learned during training, significantly enhancing their capacity to produce high-quality tree seedlings. As part of our commitment to improving livelihoods and collaborating with local communities, MKT has procured over 200,000 seedlings from community nurseries for this year’s restoration season (October-November 2024). These efforts will play a crucial role in achieving the goals of our Forest Restoration Projects. For more information about our Forest Restoration Project or to support our restoration initiatives, visit www.mountkenyatrust.org. #MKT_Partnerships #ForestRestoration #TreeNurseries #SustainableForestry #CommunityEngagement #ClimateAction #MountKenyaTrust #Reforestation

While I find April et al.'s (2024) https://lnkd.in/d-USJTUP abstract inspiring, my key takeaway centers on a critical question: What about Africa's cost of repairing its degraded, deforested, and polluted landscapes and aquatic systems? More importantly, whose responsibility is it to address these challenges, who plays which role in the restoration efforts, and who ultimately benefits from the returns of these investments?