The African savannah, a diverse and complex ecosystem, plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle and harbors an immense biocultural heritage
As one of the most effective terrestrial ecosystems at sequestering and storing carbon, tropical forests are known for their high biomass and carbon storage capacity, primarily in their dense vegetation and soils. While there is wide awareness of the emissions reduction potential of forests and the need to conserve them to mitigate climate change, other ecosystems with a comparatively lower biomass also play a critical role in the global carbon cycle.
Among them is the African savannah biome, which includes bushlands, woodlands, such as the vast Miombo Woodlands in Southern Africa, and forest transition zones such as the Transitional Zone in Ghana, a UN-REDD Programme partner country. In fact, Ghana's REDD+ Strategy includes the Transitional Zone and the Northern Savannah Zone, home of the shea parklands, as two of the five biomes where a broad set of actions will tackle deforestation and forest degradation at the landscape level. In Kenya, dry forests and savannahs are home to spectacular species of wildlife from the mighty ant to the magnificent elephant. Go up close to a whistling thorn and witness acrobat ants defend the tree against browsers and insect predators by biting them and spraying them with formic acid. These ants are just as well adapted to the sprawling plains as the peoples of the savannah. However, the communities of the savannah, including the Maasai, are now facing significant changes to their livelihoods due to climate change.
Savannahs store carbon in their vegetation and soils and act as a carbon sink when well-managed. Locally adapted management practices, such as sustainable land management, climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry practices with dryland tree species, habitat restoration, fire management, and the conservation of the many forest reserves, can additionally enhance their carbon sequestration potential. UNDP Climate & Forests, through the UN-REDD Programme and the Climate Promise, is providing technical assistance to Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Republic of the Congo, and Uganda to implement forest-based solutions to the climate crisis.
In Ghana, UNDP is supporting the Ghana Shea Landscape Emissions Reduction Project, which seeks to restore 500,000 hectares of savannah lands and degraded shea parklands, and to establish 25,500 hectares of forest plantations in severely degraded forest reserves. Under the REDD+ Investment Programme in the Oriental Province in DRC, UNDP supports the conservation of 30,000 hectares of savannah landscape from a community-based approach, working with the Local Development Committee (CLD). The Forest and Land Restoration Action for Kenya (FLaRAK) programme, implemented by UNDP Kenya, is set to produce 400,000 tree seedlings in selected schools annually in three ecosystems, including the Suswa-Magadi rangeland ecosystem in Narok/Kajiado.
African savannahs are remarkable and vital carbon sinks and store, on average, more carbon below ground than forests. This highlights the importance of comprehensive investments in preserving and sustainably managing natural savannahs and dry forests. This can be done through a mix of agriculture, livestock, land and wildlife management planning and policy measures to address the complex social, economic and ecological challenges being faced in the fight against climate change. In African countries, such as Tanzania and Zambia, these areas are not only crucial for livelihoods, but they also have the potential for nature-based climate solutions to help various countries achieve their NDCs.
Harbouring the biocultural heritage of a diverse and vast region, the African savannah holds significant cultural importance for the Indigenous and local communities that have traditionally lived in these unique landscapes. Indigenous leaders from the region argue that the preservation of their ancestral knowledge and sustainable use practices, alongside substantial investments in communities and local conservation and restoration solutions are essential for maintaining the savannah’s ecological and climate services.
As African countries strive to tap into the opportunities for climate finance, landscape and large-scale mitigation programmes involving dry forests and woodland savannah areas are increasingly becoming part of the solution.
