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Some 160 Acacia species are native of Africa and the Near East, in the drier regions of which 78 (97 taxa) are reported to be utilized for fuel, timber, forage, gum, tannins, fibre, medicine, food, handicrafts, domestic utensils, environmental protection, soil fertility, shade and shelter, game refuge, amenity and ornamental plantings, and agroforestry. Much of the information is provided by means of tables although the major uses, fuel, forage, gums and tannins are discussed in some detail.
Their distribution and role in the Sahel, Horn of Africa, East, Southern and North Africa, Arabia and the Thar-Sind Deserts are briefly described. The four most widely distributed and utilized species, A. nilotica, A. Senegal, A. tortilis and Faidherbia albida are treated separately. Some of the introduced acacias are briefly discussed, especially regarding physiological problems associated with their introduction in the Sahel.
There are problems in the management of Acacia communities, many of which have already been subjected to anthropogenic pressures. It is difficult enough to manage for sustainable development for timber, fuel and non-wood products for the rural communities; the demands by urban communities for fuelwood certainly cannot be met from forest resources within the arid and semi-arid regions. In severely decertified areas there is very little hope of improvement. Protection of local communities in the higher rainfall areas through sound management is recommended in order to form a base from which it is possible to attempt reclamation of the decertified regions.