Integration of Ecosystem Services into the Assessment of Forest Landscape Restoration in Tropical Africa: An Exploratory Review

Abstract

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) in tropical Africa seeks to improve the ability of degraded forest to provide ecosystem services (ESs) to local communities. The purpose of this study is to present ESs that are mentioned in studies on FLR and methods that best integrate the different categories of ESs that have been identified in tropical Africa. The study followed the PRISMA 2020 statement for reporting systematic reviews. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using agglomerative clustering and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). The systematic literature review analyzes modalities of ES integration through various studies on FLR in tropical Africa. In most cases, only three of the four ES categories are mentioned, namely provisioning, regulating and supporting services. Primary production is the ES category most frequently mentioned in tropical Africa. In this region, various methods are used to restore forest landscapes (reforestation, savannah protection, agroforestry). This review shows a strong link between ESs, the ES categories, use values and methods of FLR. Therefore, integration of ESs in FLR can contribute to the understanding of how FLR impacts biodiversity, climate change mitigation. improvement of human well-being, etc.