Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits

Abstract

Urgent solutions to global climate change are needed. Ambitious tree‐planting initiatives, many already underway, aim to sequester enormous quantities of carbon to partly compensate for anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which are a major cause of rising global temperatures. However, tree planting that is poorly planned and executed could actually increase CO2 emissions and have long‐term, deleterious impacts on biodiversity, landscapes and livelihoods. Here, we highlight the main environmental risks of large‐scale tree planting and propose 10 golden rules, based on some of the most recent ecological research, to implement forest ecosystem restoration that maximizes rates of both carbon sequestration and biodiversity recovery while improving livelihoods. These are as follows: (1) Protect existing forest first; (2) Work together (involving all stakeholders); (3) Aim to maximize biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals; (4) Select appropriate areas for restoration; (5) Use natural regeneration wherever possible; (6) Select species to maximize biodiversity; (7) Use resilient plant material (with appropriate genetic variability and provenance); (8) Plan ahead for infrastructure, capacity and seed supply; (9) Learn by doing (using an adaptive management approach); and (10) Make it pay (ensuring the economic sustainability of the project). We focus on the design of long‐term strategies to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and support livelihood needs. We emphasize the role of local communities as sources of indigenous knowledge, and the benefits they could derive from successful reforestation that restores ecosystem functioning and delivers a diverse range of forest products and services. While there is no simple and universal recipe for forest restoration, it is crucial to build upon the currently growing public and private interest in this topic, to ensure interventions provide effective, long‐term carbon sinks and maximize benefits for biodiversity and people.

Functional diversity and redundancy of tropical forests shift with elevation and forest‐use intensity

“…Consequently, a more viable management strategy in these highelevation forests could be enrichment plantings (Ashton et al, 2001;Griscom & Ashton, 2011) using native species known to tolerate current (and future) environmental conditions (Sacco et al, 2021).…”

Older Eastern White Pine Trees and Stands Accumulate Carbon for Many Decades and Maximize Cumulative Carbon

“…Proforestationgrowing existing natural forests-complements and extends natural regeneration as an ongoing climate solution by leveraging the accumulation potential in forests that are already established (Moomaw et al, 2019). These strategies are outlined in the recent report on "ten golden rules" for restoring forests wherein the first rule is protect existing forest (Di Sacco et al, 2021). Proforestation recognizes implicitly that older forests and large trees are critical to a global strategy for carbon accumulation and biodiversity protection (Lindenmayer and Laurance, 2016).…”

Can PA Governance Improve PA Outcomes: A Review of the Debates

“…Good governance at the global level has also not succeeded in convincing governments in most forest regions of the world (e.g. Africa, and South America) to engage in the active protection of forest resources, afforestation, and re-afforestation drive to serve as carbon sinks that reduce climate change impacts, worldwide (Di Sacco et al, 2021;Wainaina et al, 2020).…”