Dynamics of land use land cover and its impact on carbon stocks in Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview

Abstract

Land use land cover change (LULCC) is a global environmental trend that plays a key role in worldwide environmental change and sustainable development. Substantial disturbance resulting from natural and anthropogenic activities has been witnessed in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) over the last four decades, which is mostly due to the increasing population being experienced in Africa. One-third of emitted greenhouse gases (GHG) are attributable to LULCC and agricultural activities most especially deforestation. Soil carbon sequestration has been considered as a possible strategy to counterbalance carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and mitigate global climate change, driven by rising concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere and global increase in temperature. The role of tropical Africa's forests in mitigating climate change has been widely acknowledged under the global treaties' Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) initiatives. More than two-thirds of the SSA population rely on forests and woodlands for their livelihoods. Despite the importance of forests, Sub-Saharan Africa, and even the entire African continent, is experiencing an acceleration in deforestation, leading to diminished ecosystem resilience. Subsistence and commercial agriculture accounted for 10% of total forest land loss in Africa (approximately 75 million ha) between 1990 and 2010. As a result, agricultural expansion alone accounts for 70–80% of Africa's total forest loss. The challenges of implementing a policy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD +) in the SSA includes interactions between a number of anthropogenic-induced factors and challenges. These factors, which are of various types (economic, institutional, etc.), cause loss of forest and forest degradation; and the challenges arising from finance, institutional and technical expertise hinder the appropriate design and implementation of national forest monitoring schemes. These challenges must be adequately addressed in order to accurately quantify the carbon budgets and implement an appropriate forest and carbon monitoring system for REDD + in SSA. Therefore, in meeting the REDD + initiatives in SSA, integrated land use management approach that enhances soil carbon sequestration potential should be given considerable systematic and scientific attention. In addition, political, socioeconomic and institutional factors that hinder sustainable forest management and land use system management must be addressed collectively.