Southern Africa has a complex biophysical and climatic environment, and superimposed on this are several perturbations, such as climate change, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), complex fire patterns, introductions of novel pests and diseases, and additional pressure from an increasing population that is undergoing extensive socio-political change. In this milieu, it is imperative to focus on sustainable management practices that render forests systems more resilient and risk averse. Forested landscapes should provide services such as employment and timber products, but also ecosystem services as diverse as carbon sequestration and recreational services. In a water scarce country, renewable forest products must come from forests with high water use efficiency, grown in a landscape with diversified land uses. Importantly, all forest management systems should preserve fundamental system components, such as soil conservation, nutrient cycling systems and biological diversity, to remain truly sustainable. Regardless of their deployment in natural or plantation forests, future foresters will have to design, manage and maintain resilient, sustainable forest systems.
