Abstract
The East African drylands cover about 47% of the land surface and host about 20 million people. Rural people living in the drylands are mainly pastoralists who depend on livestock for both economic and social well-being. During the dry season, pastoralists apply strategic mobility to access grazing resources efficiently. However, this strategy has experienced change and constraints due to various demographic- and climate-related challenges. Pastoral lands have been cleared for large-scale agriculture while pastoralists have shifted towards agro-pastoralism. This has eroded many dryland trees and forests leading to environmental degradation. This review discusses important indigenous trees that can be utilized in ecological restoration of drylands as well as providing ecosystem goods and services. These include trees for gums and resins (Acacia, Commiphora and Boswellia), indigenous fruit trees (IFTs) (Adansonia digitata, Tamarindus indica and Balanites aegyptiaca), trees for wood (Melia volkensii and Terminalia brownie) and fodder (Acacia tortilis and Faidherbia albida). They are not only drought-tolerant but also have minimal disruption to the ecosystem. Various dryland restoration strategies and constraints are also discussed. For successful establishment, seedling planting should be integrated with other appropriate practices such as natural regeneration, silviculture and enrichment planting for sustainable dryland management. Key words: Ecological restoration, drylands, indigenous trees, pastoralism.
Highlights
Drylands cover 41% of the earth’s land surface and are inhabited by about 40% of the world’s population (Koohafkan and Stewart, 2008)
Rural people living in the drylands are mainly pastoralists who depend on livestock for economic and social well-being
Pastoralism contributes 10 - 44% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of African countries and at least 50% of total value of production consumed by an average pastoralist household (African Union, 2013)
Summary
Drylands cover 41% of the earth’s land surface and are inhabited by about 40% of the world’s population (Koohafkan and Stewart, 2008). Some of the droughttolerant dryland trees with the potential to restore degraded drylands of East Africa and improve pastoral livelihoods include trees for gums and resins (Acacia, Commiphora and Boswellia), indigenous fruit trees (Adansonia digitata, Tamarindus indica and Balanites aegyptiaca) and many other economic important trees such as Melia volkensii and Acacia tortilis (Table 1). These trees are preferred by the rural communities since they produce well even during the dry seasons and contribute to food security and income generation. This is worsened by various constraints that face ecological restoration of drylands (Table 3)
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