Sustainable management of Miombo woodlands : Food security, nutrition and wood energy

A growing population, over-harvesting of natural resources, and climate change impacts such as drought and fires are leaving insufficient time for many trees and associated species to regenerate naturally in the Miombo woodlands, posing a serious threat to the products and services of the area, and to the livelihoods that depend on them.

Further compounding the problem, an enabling policy environment is lacking; the area is not being sustainably managed; there is limited willingness and ability to pay for and access energy-efficiency technologies; there is inadequate awareness and information, including technical capacity; and there are high poverty levels and limited access to microcredit facilities.The Miombo woodlands area is a vast African dryland forest ecosystem covering close to 2.7 million km2 across southern Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

The woodlands are characterized by the dominance of Brachystegia species, either alone or in association with Julbernardia and Isoberlinia species.

It is estimated that the woodlands - through their numerous goods and services which include various non-wood forest products (e.g. insects, mushrooms, fruits, tubers, medicine, fodder, honey, seeds) and woodfuels - currently sustain the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural poor and 50 million urban people.

The charcoal sector alone employs vast numbers of rural people and offers additional income to many poor rural families.