Abstract
This chapter presents a case study of use of forest products in central-northern Namibia and its implications for land degradation. Wood is mainly used for domestic fuel and construction. Population increase over the past 100 years has led to increased demand for wood products, which resulted in extensive deforestation, a major cause of desertification in central-northern Namibia. Tree planting projects on communal farms have been launched, both for timber wood and fruit trees, in response to increasing demands and decreasing availability. In addition, forests and woody vegetation are conserved under the Forest Act of 2001. The future of Namibian forest resources depends on the success of these conservation initiatives in empowering communities and alleviating poverty.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Director of Forestry, Mr. Joseph Hailwa, for his insightful contribution to this paper and the editorial board for their valuable comments on an early draft.
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Seely, M., Klintenberg, P. (2011). Case Study Desertification: Central-Northern Namibia. In: Günter, S., Weber, M., Stimm, B., Mosandl, R. (eds) Silviculture in the Tropics. Tropical Forestry, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19986-8_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19986-8_31
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