Abstract

The dry savannahs of Africa are fragile environments at the ante-room of desertification. The stability of this ecosystem depends on ephemeral herbs and grasses and several tress and shrubs which play a variety of roles in traditional land use systems. Despite a wealth of indigenous knowledge on their uses demographic pressure and commodification of rural products are imposing biological stress on these vital resources. The study investigates the role of trees and shrubs in the traditional land use systems of this ecosystem, the ethnobotanical uses and the indigenous knowledge base on their management for livelihoods. It uses a combination of primary and secondary data sources to establish the various indigenous uses of woody species for livelihood systems, soil and water management and indigenous agro-silvopastoral practices and concludes that there is a wealth of indigenous knowledge on the uses and functions of these resources which can be tapped and developed with experimentation. This should serve as a starting point for innovating the traditional land use systems and ensuring the sustainability of woody resources, ecosystem stability and fighting desertification. Finally, it identifies the scope for the sustainable management of vegetal resources in dry lands.

Key words: Trees, shrubs, dry savannahs, uses and functions, degradation, management, land use systems, sustainability.