Sustainable forestry in the mountains of Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked country covering an area of approximately 3 0 000 square kilometres. The altitude ranges between 1380 m in the south west and 3480 m above sea level in the west. Mountains cover up to 65% of the total land area. The population of Lesotho is presently 2 million with 80% of the inhabitants residing in the rural areas. Poverty is prevalent in the rural areas and the majority of households depend heavily on traditional fuel sources such as trees, shrubs, animal dung and crop residues. Trees and shrubs constitute 72% of Lesotho's total energy requirement. Increasing pressure on woody vegetation coupled with overgrazing by domestic livestock on the limited rangeland is resulting in serious land degradation in the country.