Planting trees in grasslands won’t save the planet – rather protect and restore forests

• Many of these tree planting projects target Africa’s rangelands (open grasslands or shrublands used by livestock and wild animals).
• Our goal is to protect and promote rangelands that combat desertification and support economic
  growth, resilient livelihoods and the sustainable development of pastoralism.
• In pursuit of this goal, we reviewed all the scientific studies we could find on the effects of planting trees in rangelands.

Why rangelands matter

• Rangelands provide critical ecosystem services, but these are lost when open grassy vegetation is converted to forest or plantation.
• Many rangelands are too dry, steep or rocky to grow crops but are suited for livestock grazing to produce meat, milk and fibres such as wool.
• Read more:
  When tree planting actually damages ecosystems

  The ecosystem services provided by rangelands are generally overlooked while those provided by forests and trees are assumed to be far superior.

Afforestation in the wrong places often fails

• This is a suitable form of land use for those environments, which would be harmed by planting trees.
• Tree planting projects are commonly portrayed as reforestation, which implies that the target areas have lost their original forest cover.
• In fact, planting trees in rangelands that naturally have low tree cover is afforestation.
• This often fails because they don’t have enough rainfall throughout the year to support high tree cover.

Afforestation can be damaging to people, water and climate

• Despite being portrayed as supporting local economic development and ecosystem restoration, afforestation projects often exclude existing land users and limit their access to land and resources.
• Rangeland afforestation also reduces streamflow and lowers water tables as trees use much more water than grasses.

What is a better solution?

• If these initiatives were focused on degraded forest instead, three-quarters of degraded forests could be restored.
• In rangelands, the best approach is to protect and enhance their existing carbon stores rather than replacing them with forests or plantations.

Susanne Vetter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.