Literature review and economic assessment of subtropical agroforestry trees for semi-arid regions

Master's Thesis (Forestry, SRM, Biology or IngÖko)

02.02.2026, Student assistants, internships, student research projects

Agroforestry use of marginal sites is becoming an increasingly important strategy for the sustainable pro-duction of food and raw materials, as well as for protecting landscapes from degradation. The extensive management and harvesting of a wide range of tree species is particularly common in semi-arid biomes (e.g. shea, argan, gum arabic).

In the future, reclamation and restoration projects could additionally be supported financially through CO₂ certificates; however, the question remains how to balance value creation through raw material produc-tion with the provision of this ecosystem service.

Task:
- Compilation of yield-related information on promising subtropical tree species (including growth rates, CO₂ sequestration, and other products).
- Comparison of economic potential under different levels of management intensity (e.g. irrigation) and
analysis of price development of non-timber forest products.

Requirements:
- Basic understanding of subtropical climates and vegetation
- Interest in agroforestry and trees

Kontakt: nikolaus.froehlich@tum.de