People in the Miombo Woodlands: Socio-Ecological Dynamics

In this chapter we describe the socio-ecology of miombo woodlands, with a focus on ancestral human practices and how these have been important in shaping the woodlands as they are now. The long history of human activities including land clearing and fires along with climate has been important in determining the structure and composition of the woodlands as well as its capacity to provide goods and services. These have been crucial to sustain livelihoods of rural populations but are also economically important in the region. Carbon sequestration has been seen as a way of mitigating the effects of climate change, but this has to be considered in the context of conserving other resources provided by the woodlands. In the contemporary context, understanding the socio-ecology of miombo must take into consideration other drivers such as human population growth and associated changes (e.g. agriculture and urbanisation) as well as climate change.