Stopping and reversing deforestation is a foremost priority in much of the tropics, and governments are stepping up planting and reforestation policies and programs. But with what results? A study led by UNIL researchers and focusing on Southeast Asia, highlights nine pitfalls to be avoided.
With their capacity to absorb and store carbon dioxide, trees and forests are a natural brake on global warming. They also fulfil countless crucial functions, from preserving biodiversity to stabilizing watersheds. Faced with a shrinking forest area, many countries in the tropics are launching ambitious programs to plant and restore forest vegetation. This strategy is inspired by the forest transitions carried out over long periods in temperate countries such as France, Germany, the USA and Japan. In these places, a period of deforestation was followed by planting, and in the long term, by a positive balance sheet. Can this model be successfully applied in tropical countries, over a much shorter timeframe?
In a new study published in Environmental Conservation, scientists from UNIL and their partners have examined practices in several regions of Southeast Asia, highlighting nine pitfalls to be avoided. “There is a tendency to plant as many trees as possible, without necessarily taking into account where it happens, who will benefit (or lose out) from these operations, and what kind of forest,” explains Christian Kull, professor at UNIL and first author of the article. “However, sustainable management that benefits both the planet and the population requires a holistic and diverse approach.”
Trends to be avoided include prioritizing the quantity of trees over quality, neglecting the social aspect, e.g. the impact on local populations, or transforming the socio-ecological character of the forest.
In some cases, what were once a diversity of “living forests”, actively managed by local populations as swidden land, forest product harvesting zones, hunting grounds and ancestral territories, are increasingly reclategorized and reframed into two simple categories: “conservation forests” (where local populations are largely kept out) and “production forests” (increasingly organized around economic goals, including industrial monocultures tree crops). “In these examples, local populations lose control to the state, international and economic actors.
This concept was developed by Nguyen Thi Hai Van in her thesis, calling it a “bifurcation” of forest uses", illustrates Christian Kull. “This is quite a telling example, but many other aspects are equally important. We wrote this paper to draw the attention of policymakers and leaders, so that they can consider the possibility of making forest transitions more diverse and sustainable than is currently the case.”
More informations : C. A. Kull, J. Bartmess, W. Dressler, S. Gingrich, M. Grodzicki, K. Jasikowska, Z. Łapniewska, S. Mansourian, V. Thi Hai Nguyen, J. Persson, M. Pichler, H. Manoa Rajaonarivelo, A. Robert, T. Nam Tran and K. Woods, Pitfalls for the sustainability of forest transitions: evidence from Southeast Asia, Environmental Conservation, 2024
Christian Kull’s blog: https://christiankull.net/2024/05/22/pitfalls/