Over 20 million hectares of forests are now under some form of Social Forestry (SF) in Africa. While progress has been uneven across countries, the overall trajectory shows increased recognition of the role that local communities can play in sustainable forest management. Countries like DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia have institutionalised frameworks for SF. 

The growth and potential expansion of SF throughout Africa are helping balance conservation with SF tenure holders meeting their needs, including through eco-tourism and sustainable harvesting of timber and non-timber forest products. Progress is most evident where supportive legal framework, capacity support, equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms and partnerships exist, though widespread adoption remains mixed.

With Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) support, UN-REDD has partnered with AFF to support REDD+ implementation in Africa. 

The collaboration involved the provision of capacity development to African countries through technical assistance (trainings, peer-learning via knowledge exchange and community of practice). 

The continued SDC support will enable, among other things, further leveraging of regional mechanisms through COMESA, in the region to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing, as well as to enhance cooperation between member states and mechanisms.