January 2014: The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has published a report on the role of trees in enhancing resilience to drought, floods and other extreme events in the drylands of Eastern Africa.

The report, titled ‘Treesilience – An assessment of the resilience provided by trees in the drylands of Eastern Africa,’ was developed during a one week “write shop.” It is a compilation of information on: the need for enhanced resilience; the conceptual links between trees and resilience; the distribution of trees in East Africa’s drylands; the ecosystem services provided by trees; the links between resilience and livelihoods; and solutions and opportunities for further action.

Overall, the report presents a number of recommendations noting that efforts to enhance knowledge on trees and resilience in East African drylands should be supported and expanded; tenure security and institutions should be strengthened to support sustainable tree management; and that capacity should be built for the further integration of resilience into development projects.

The report also calls for better consideration of the indirect ecosystem service benefits provided by trees in drylands and stronger action by stakeholders to integrate resilience into livelihood development.

ICRAF is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Treesilience – An assessment of the resilience provided by trees in the drylands of Eastern Africa]