Misguided Tree Planting Projects In Africa Is Threatening Ecosystem, Scientists Warn

(Photo : Getty Images/LUIS TATO)

Scientists warned that the misguided tree-planting efforts across Africa are endangering critical ecosystems across Africa by damaging ancient grassland ecosystems that absorb carbon dioxide while failing to entirely restore depleted forests.

Misplaced Reforestation

According to a study published in the journal Science, forest restoration initiatives in inappropriate environments endanger an area the size of France.

One project in particular is the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, which seeks to plant trees on 100 million hectares (247 million acres) of land by 2030, with major projects planned in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, and Sudan. The German government, the World Bank, and the non-profit World Resources Institute have all backed the effort.

Scientists have warned that the initiative intends to plant trees in non-forest environments such as savannahs and grasslands, which could disturb or destroy whole ecosystems.

The study shows that 52% of tree-planting efforts in Africa take place in savannahs, with nearly 60% utilizing non-native tree species, which increases the danger of importing invasive species.

It also discovered only one project dedicated to grassland restoration in Kenya. Chad and Namibia are among the more than half a dozen countries with no forest cover that have pledged to join the AFR100.

The researchers argued that misclassifying grassy ecosystems such as savannahs as "forests" could result in unintended replanting and destruction of these historic grasslands.

"We must act to avoid a situation where we cannot see the savannah for the trees, and these precious grassy systems are lost irrevocably," wrote the authors.

AFR100 defended the plan, claiming it included both forested and non-forested degraded lands. The World Resources Institute, the project's technical partner, stated that one of the AFR100's key principles is that native grasslands should not be transformed into forests.

According to the institute, many AFR100 restoration initiatives included planting trees on existing croplands to boost soil fertility, increase water retention, and prevent topsoil erosion.

Revise Definitions

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization now defines forests as expanses of land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees taller than 5 meters and a tree canopy cover of at least 10%.

According to this definition, open-spaced ecosystems with trees, such as savannahs, are classified as forests and meet the replanting standards, even if they are inappropriate.

The addition of more trees to these places increases canopy cover while decreasing the quantity of light that reaches the ground below, potentially altering the savannah's grassy ecosystem. This might endanger species such as rhinos and wildebeest, as well as humans who rely on these habitats.

Kate Parr, a professor of tropical ecology at the University of Liverpool and an author of the study said restoration of ecosystems is necessary and crucial, but it must be done in a manner that is appropriate for each system. Non-forest habitats, such as savannahs, are incorrectly classed as forests and thus require tree restoration.

"There is an urgent need to revise definitions so that savannahs are not confused with forest because increasing trees is a threat to the integrity and persistence of savannahs and grasslands," he added.