In recent years, reforestation has become one of the strongest symbols of the fight against climate change. From global programs to plant billions of trees to the local reforestation campaigns, the idea of ”taking care of the planet with plants” has captured the collective imagination and the support of governments, companies and citizens.
A new study published in the journal Science, however, invites a different reflection: the reforestation remains an important lever for the mitigation of global warming, but its effectiveness is lower than the more optimistic estimates and depends heavily on where and how trees are planted.
The research team led by Josep “Pep” Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project, has revised the previous projections on the carbon absorption potential by new forests.
According to updated calculations, the global contribution of the reforestation by 2050 could amount to 12.5 carbon gigatonnellate – about a third of the previous estimates, which spoke of 40 gigatonnellate.
The reduction, the authors explain, does not mean that the reforestation is ineffective, but that it is necessary to take into account environmental, social and territorial constraints often ignored: competition with agricultural land, the availability of water, and the impact on natural non -forestry ecosystems such as Savane and meadows.
We have perhaps told the reforestation as a simpler solution than it is – explained Canadell to Mongabay – when communities, local economies and ecosystems come into play, reality becomes much more complex “.
Africa and beyond: the weight of local conditions
One of the most emblematic cases analyzed in the study is that of Africa. About half of the 230 million hectares promised globally for the reforestation by 2030 is located on the African continent. However, only 4% of the territory is actually suitable for large -scale planting. In fact, most of the areas identified includes natural savannas and meadows, precious ecosystems that would be altered by excessive arboreal coverage.
Planting a tree is simple -observes Katherine Sinacore, ecologist of James Madison University -but making it grow over time, in balance with the surrounding environment, is the really difficult part.
Priorities: protect the existing assets
The central message of the study is not an invitation to give up the reforestation, but to plan it more carefully. The authors suggest concentrating efforts on three key points:
As William Moomaw, forest expert emeritus at Tufts University explains, “already mature forests are our best allies. Keeping them healthy is the most immediate and effective strategy for the climate”.
Ultimately, the reforestation remains a fundamental piece in global climatic strategy – but not a shortcut. The contribution of 12.5 gigatonnellate estimated by the study is equivalent to the creation of new forests as large as South Africa: a result that is anything but negligible, provided that it is the result of planned, sustainable and coordinated actions with the emissions reduction policies.
For experts, the message is clear: planting trees remains useful and necessary, but the real challenge is to protect and enhance the forests that we already have, making it the focal point of an integrated approach to the ecological transition.
