Afforestation in general and dryland afforestation in particular are often controversial and considered to conflict with nature conservation. However, in drylands where recourses are scarce and poverty roams, afforestation can add ecosystem services both to human and the environment. We propose and test a silvicultural-socio-ecological conceptual framework aiming at afforestation participatory planning and the selection of multifunctional woody-species - according to three main criteria: (a) drought resistance; (b) minimal disruption of ecosystem integrity; and (c) maximization of the provision of ecosystem services with an emphasize on livelihood supporting.
Results/Conclusions
To extend afforestation livelihood support services we suggest evaluating both native and non-native woody-species following an experimental examination of the species compliance with the proposed criteria. Spontaneous germination and cross-hybridization with the native-local-species are the main traits tested to assess potential invasiveness and ecosystem integrity disruption. We exemplify the framework with a study on Ziziphus native and non-native species that were recommended as candidates for dryland-afforestation because of their high values for human communities. The species were tested for their drought resistance and invasiveness risk. We discuss the experimental results in the light bridging between dryland-afforestation and nature conservation.