New reforestation maps exclude grasslands to avoid harm

June 22, 2025

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A new study has redrawn Africa’s place in global reforestation efforts by excluding large areas of savanna and grassland from tree planting initiatives. The research provides the most detailed global maps to date, indicating where reforestation can effectively contribute to climate change mitigation without harming ecosystems or communities.

  • Led by the University of the Witwatersrand’s Future Ecosystems for Africa programme, the report identifies 195 million hectares worldwide as having “constrained reforestation potential.” These areas are suitable for restoring tree cover, which would facilitate measurable carbon removal while adhering to environmental and social safeguards.

  • In addition to cautioning against tree planting in Africa’s grasslands and savannas, the study highlights the risks faced by communities with insecure land rights. In such areas, reforestation efforts could jeopardise livelihoods and provoke conflicts, especially in regions that are heavily dependent on natural resources for survival.

  • Our take: This new report dismantles the “plant trees everywhere” myth and forces a shift to smarter, evidence-based reforestation…Read more (2 min)

Africa’s conservation job landscape shows a shift towards roles around systemic climate resilience. East Africa leads, with UNEP and the World Bank recruiting governance roles in Kenya, cementing its position as the regional hub for climate policy and institutional coordination. Research-oriented positions indicate the maturation of the green-tech ecosystem.

  • In Uganda and Tanzania, job opportunities are increasingly focused on field implementation and land rights. The Lion Landscapes role in Iringa illustrates an emphasis on capacity-building rather than direct protection, investing in people as well as parks.

  • Southern Africa, led by Malawi, offers roles in agroecology and plant breeding, highlighting the intersection of food security and climate science. In DR Congo, positions prioritise biodiversity stewardship through immersive management roles.

  • Click for more details…Read more (2 min)

Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe have signed a new transboundary conservation treaty to establish the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area. The agreement will enable the three countries to coordinate their efforts to protect biodiversity, reduce habitat degradation and manage shared heritage sites in the region.

  • The conservation area will include the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana, Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site in South Africa, and Zimbabwe’s Tuli Circle Safari Area, along with Maramani and adjacent Wildlife Management Areas.

  • The Mapungubwe treaty uniquely integrates conservation with cultural heritage protection and cross-border livelihoods, unlike previous agreements that focused primarily on ecosystems or law enforcement. It promotes joint governance based on a shared identity and addresses the increasing human-wildlife conflict in the region.

  • Our take: The continent saves more and earns more when ecosystems and economies are managed beyond lines on a map…Read more (2 min)

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Climate Investment Funds approve $2.2 billion coal-exit plan for South Africa

Events

🗓️ Attend the Uncovering AI in Conservation Impacts (June 25)

🗓️ Register for Species360 Conservation Science Alliance Symposium (July 16)

🗓️ Follow the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (October 9)

Various 

🌊 Tanzania receives $227million aquaculture credits

🐕‍🦺 AI keeps Kenya’s endangered Mountain Bongo safe

🐚 South Africa signs high seas treaty to protect marine biodiversity

Seen on LinkedIn 

Robert Ddamulira, Environment Program Officer at Mott Foundation, says, “Biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa is under intensive degradation. High levels of economic poverty, high population growth characterized by a predominance of subsistence agriculture, deforestation as well as other forms of habitat loss are driving these high levels of biodiversity loss. ”

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