Why a 'fetish' for forests might imperil conservation efforts

Prof William Bond in the grasslands of Lope Park, Gabon - a 5,000 square kilometre Unesco World Heritage Site consisting of rainforest and grassland savannahs. The western lowland gorilla and countless other mammals and bird species have found refuge in this diverse landscape. [Photo: Supplied]

Sharing the panel with Bond on August 31, were Dr Duncan Kimuyu, a senior lecturer in the department of Natural Resources at Karatina University, Kenya, and Dr Heidi Hawkins, a plant physiologist, ecologist and researcher at Conservation International and the University of Cape Town.

Hawkins and Bond said that while trees helped combat climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, the impact of mass tree planting programmes had been grossly exaggerated, misleading and incorrect scientifically.

The World Economic Forum launched its Trillion Tree Initiative in Davos in 2020. Rolling Stone subsequently published this article, Why Planting Trees Won't Save Us, that exposed "the magical thinking around the trillion trees initiative".

Flawed

Bond said equally flawed thinking applied to the African Forest Landscape Restoration initiative founded in Durban in by a group of 10 African countries, each committing to restore a certain number of hectares of degraded landscapes within their borders. AFR100, to use its acronym, has since included in its stated aims, bringing "100 million hectares of land in Africa into restoration by 2030".

Hawkins said these tree-centric initiatives ignored grasslands and how extremely important they are for carbon sequestration.

She said many people did not realise grassy ecosystems were actually a more reliable carbon sink than forested ones.

She said this was because forests, especially tropical forests, store most of their carbon above ground, where they are vulnerable to fires and harvesting.

Dr Duncan Kimuyu says domesticated cattle started to spread through the continent about 7,000 years ago, ultimately becoming the wellspring for countless traditional communities. [Photo: Supplied]

Hawkins said although Africa's grasslands were threatened by a range of factors it was not too late to save them from permanent damage.

She said rewilding and building wildlife economies were among the viable solutions alongside better planned carbon-offset programmes that take into account biodiversity and the wellbeing of people.

Wrapping up the discussion, Bond did not mince his words.

Cost

Asked to comment on the AFR100 pledge, which commits countries across Africa to bringing 100 million hectares into restoration and afforestation by 2030, Bond told audience he was astounded at the poverty of "the arithmetic behind these afforestation programmes".

"The impact that they make is trivial in global terms. The cost to Africa is enormous," he said.

"Very often they will be non-native trees, pines and eucalyptus and so on, because they grow the fastest. We are going to be living with them as invasives and bits of plantation for decades, if not centuries," said Bond.

Ultimately, the pledge would have a negligible effect on climate change at a global level. Yet companies, including petroleum companies, were now competing for lots of land to plant trees, "where neighbours will not get annoyed with them".

"It's crazy, and Africa is seen as an easy target," said Bond. "In my view it's fraudulent. So we have to really try to wise up as a continent, as people who can advise on these programmes, foisted on us by others who are too slap, too idle, too lazy to control carbon emissions."

Contacted for comment, Teko Nhlapo, representing the AFR100 secretariat, expressed disappointment at Bond's statements.

Representing the AFR100 secretariat, Teko Nhlapo has challenged Prof William Bond to a public debate about the ecologist's criticisms of the massive tree planting programme that aims to bring '100 million hectares of land in Africa into restoration by 2030'. [Photo: Supplied]

The AFR initiative restored degraded forests and lands; "non-degraded forests and lands are never used", he said.

"Prof Bond should provide more explanation on what he means by a 'fetish for forests' by providing country examples and the types of trees that are planted in the wrong place. Our work in the field shows the contrary," said Nhlapo.

The AFR100 initiative "always and simultaneously" brought "win-win" environmental, social, economic and livelihood benefits, which improved human wellbeing and the health of the planet, he said.

The secretariat provided a lengthy list of the benefits the initiative brought at a local, regional and international level. These included, improved diversity, rural prosperity, jobs for women and young people, food security, environmental and human health, and a reduction in global warming, floods, drought, and forest fires.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published its first Global Assessment of Soil Carbon in Grasslands in February this year. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the state of carbon stocks and potential offsets in grassland soils in the world. It states that improving management practices and sustainable grazing management can boost the capacity of soils as carbon sinks, and help countries reach their climate goals.

This story was produced with support from science communication specialists, Jive Media Africa.