Constructive critique. This book provides a critical, evidence-based analysis of REDD+ implementation so far, without losing sight of the urgent need to reduce forest-based emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change. REDD+ as envisioned

The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population. This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10 per cent of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition - wider than those used by many authors - incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense. The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide.

The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population. This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10 per cent of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition - wider than those used by many authors - incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense. The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide.

This publication offers an overview of REDD+ strategy in Mozambique through a synthesis of the 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+. The objective of the study is to collate data and relevant information, and to offer a preliminary analysis of the fundamental aspects that can help promote efficiency, efficacy, and equity in REDD+ policy. Specifically, this study concludes that some of the major problems for REDD+ in Mozambique are the lack of data about deforestation and forest degradation, institutional weakness (regarding monitoring and propriety rights), and gaps in human and technical capacity to fulfil demands associated with REDD+. Therefore, efficient results will depend on the degree to which REDD+ policies are oriented toward real mitigation of the sources of forest carbon changes. In Mozambique, REDD+ policy tends to originate outside the timber sector. The cost-effectiveness of the results will depend on identifying and addressing the fundamental causes of forest carbon changes through more viable REDD+ policy options; government capacity to respond to REDD+ demands, especially at the sub-national level; the capacity of civil society and other institutions; and the strength of the institutional framework. The degree of success of equitable outcomes and the generation of co-benefits will depend on the inclusion and appropriateness of the processes at the national level; if those who support REDD+ costs are also being compensated; and on the general definition of carbon rights and environmental services.

This volume provides new insights and conceptual understandings of the human and gender dimension of vulnerability in relation to the dynamics of tenure reforms in the dryland forests of Asia and Africa. The book analyzes the interaction between biophysical factors such as climate variability (e.g. droughts) with socio-political processes (e.g. new institutions and authority) and gender dimensions at various temporal and spatial scales. The book presents a number of case studies based on empirical research on forest tenure reform and it consequences on forest-dependent people. In particular, it highlights the interaction between legal, policy and institutional reform and the inclusion and/or exclusion of local people from deriving benefits from forest resources in the drylands. The book focuses on the questions how land tenure reform and natural resource governance impacts upon marginal groups (along individual, collective and gender dimensions); how do forest-dependent people prepare for and respond to vulnerability; and what is the effect of forest tenure policy reform on the human rights, gender and citizenship issues in relation to the use and management of forest resources and on conflict in forest zones. These issues are approached from the perspective of marginalized groups (gender and social diversity such as indigenous peoples and herders) in vulnerable dryland forests with a high risk of being exposed to climate variability.

Indian Ocean studies, which once lagged behind studies of the Atlantic and the Pacific, is an important emerging academic field which has come into its own. In the next fifty years, the Indian Ocean Region will become very significant as a result of enormous demographic changes. What was the Ocean of the South is rapidly becoming the Ocean of the Centre, the Ocean of the Future. Curtin University, Western Australia, has a long and distinguished history of engagement with the Indian Ocean region and with Indian Ocean Studies, and its Australia-Asia-Pacific Institute of Curtin University continues to maintain a focus on the Indian Ocean -past, present and future. This book examines a number of themes emerging from its 2014 Conference entitled "Indian Ocean Futures", which attracted some of the best Indian Ocean region scholars. The conference connected humanities, social sciences and scientific disciplines; this book collects some of the preeminent works focused on geo-strategic, cultural, environmental security and human security themes. The book is also an important contribution to the building of academic diplomacy in the region – that is to say, it contributes to region-building by creating epistemic communities and networks between government, the private sector, and academia throughout the region. Through the pursuit of academic diplomacy, academics are capable of pursuing research goals which enhance governmental, business, and civil society objectives of the day. This book was previously published as a special issue of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region.