The Zambezi Teak forests of western Zambia have been exploited for their timber for over 80 years. The record of this exploitation and the subsequent collapse of the timber industry provide a unique insight into problems around land use change, governance and the interaction between ecology, society and forest management in south-central Africa. A wide-ranging study, this book is as much an examination of methodology for sustainability research as it is a review of land use change, forest management and rural livelihoods. It explores the problem of scale and how using explicit considerations of scale may contribute to an integration between the life sciences and the social sciences that a holistic assessment of sustainable development problems demands. Specific details of land use change in the region are examined over a 30 year period, including the first detailed mapping of changes to the Zambezi Teak forests since logging ceased in the early 1970s. Forest management practices and fire emerge as important drivers of land use change, and the book provides examples of how forest management and governance are important to sustainable development in this sparsely populated and inaccessible region. For readers interested a detailed understanding of the problems of deforestation, land use change and governance in the dry forests of Africa, this book is essential reading. It also provides insights into wider questions of how multidisciplinary studies may be integrated in a holistic synthesis. African dry forests have been widely studied, but few publications examine the problems of land use change and deforestation in this level of detail. The author draws on 20 years of experience in south-central Africa to combine historical records with research on current political, social and governance issues. The result is a landmark publication which covers a depth and breadth that is seldom achieved in studies of African sustainable development.

We used local soil parameter values to characterize texture and measured local tree parameter values for maximum crown area, wood density, leaf longevity and allometry, and LPJ-GUESS simulated forest carbon values were closest to the measured forest carbon stock values at the wetter Kabompo site, followed by the drier Sesheke site and then the intermediate Namwala site. NPP related positively with mean annual temperatures of current year, previous year and previous two years at all sites and projections showed that NPP would increase by 1.77% and 0.69% at the wetter Kabompo, and by 0.44% and 0.10% at the intermediate Namwala sites under Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) and 4.5 (RCP4.5) respectively, especially caused by the increased carbon dioxide (CO2 ) concentration by the end of the 21st century. However, at the drier Sesheke site, NPP would respectively decrease by 0.01% and 0.04% by the end of the 21st century under RCP8.5 and RCP4.5. The projected decreased NPP under RCP8.5 at the Sesheke site results from the reduced rainfall coupled with increasing temperature. This distinct response indicates that differences in the amount of rainfall received in a site per year influence the way in which the projected changes in climate and CO2 will affect forests resources. The projected increase in CO2 concentration would have more effects on NPP in high rainfall receiving areas, while in arid regions, NPP would be affected more by the changes in rainfall and temperature. CO2 concentrations would therefore be more important in forests that are generally not temperature or precipitation limited, while precipitation will continue to be the limiting factor in the drier sites.

Many countries around the world are engaged in decentralization processes, and most African countries face serious problems with forest governance, from benefits sharing to illegality and sustainable forest management. This book summarizes experiences to date on the extent and nature of decentralization and its outcomes - most of which suggest an underperformance of governance reforms - and explores the viability of different governance instruments in the context of weak governance and expanding commercial pressures over forests. Findings are grouped into two thematic areas: decentralization, livelihoods and sustainable forest management; and international trade, finance and forest sector governance reforms. The authors examine diverse forces shaping the forest sector, including the theory and practice of decentralization, usurpation of authority, corruption and illegality, inequitable patterns of benefits capture and expansion of international trade in timber and carbon credits, and discuss related outcomes on livelihoods, forest condition and equity. The book builds on earlier volumes exploring different dimensions of decentralization and perspectives from other world regions, and distills dimensions of forest governance that are both unique to Africa and representative of broader global patterns. The authors ground their analysis in relevant theory while drawing out implications of their findings for policy and practice.

Who makes land-use decisions, how are those decisions made, and who influences whom, how and why? This working paper is part of a series based on research studying multilevel decision-making institutions and processes. The series is aimed at providing insight into why efforts to keep forests standing, such as initiatives like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), are still so far from altering development trajectories. It underlines the importance of understanding the politics of multilevel governance in forest, land and climate policy and practice, and identifies potential ways forward, while highlighting the role of conservation and sustainable management of forests for the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.