Savannah, Kenya. Credit: Kate Parr, University of Liverpool
New research led by the University of Liverpool reveals the scale of misguided reforestation projects across Africa. The study reveals that an area the size of France is threatened by forest restoration initiatives due to inappropriate restoration in the form of tree planting.
The article “Confusion between reforestation and restoration is widespread” is published in the journal Science.
Researchers analyzed areas of land designated for restoration through reforestation and found that many programs include areas classified as non-forest systems. They believe that the inclusion of non-forest systems such as savannahs and grasslands, threatened by increasing forest cover, is the key issue.
They warn that planting trees in these grassy areas, which are structurally, functionally and compositionally distinct from forests, could pose a risk to wildlife like rhinos and wildebeest, as well as the people who depend on these ecosystems.
Kate Parr, professor of tropical ecology at the university’s School of Environmental Sciences and author of the study, said: “Ecosystem restoration is necessary and important, but it must be carried out in a way that is appropriate for each system.
“Non-forest systems such as savannahs are misclassified as forests and are therefore considered to require restoration with trees.
“There is an urgent need to revise definitions so that savannahs are not confused with forests, as tree growth poses a threat to the integrity and persistence of savannahs and grasslands.”
“Bringing this issue forward now means there is still time to eliminate this threat and ensure non-forest systems receive appropriate restoration.”
Grasslands, Kenya. Credit: Kate Parr, University of Liverpool
Dr Nicola Stevens, Trapnell Research Fellow in African Environments at the University of Oxford and co-author of the paper, said: “The urgency to implement large-scale tree planting is driving funding for projects insufficiently evaluated which will most likely have negligible benefits in terms of sequestration. and cause potential social and ecological harm.
The study highlights that the issues raised are not unique to Africa and that many other non-forest areas, for example the open savannahs and grasslands of India and Brazil, could face a similar future due to inappropriate “restoration” with trees.
The study involved the University of Liverpool, the University of Oxford and the University of Utrecht.
More information:
Catherine L. Parr et al, Confusion between reforestation and restoration is widespread, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adj0899. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0899
Provided by the University of Liverpool
Quote: Misguided reforestation programs threaten vast area of Africa’s tropical grasslands, study warns (February 15, 2024) retrieved February 15, 2024 from
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from fair use for private study or research purposes, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for information only.
