negative plantings

When planting trees constitutes damage to habitats

Savannahs and herbaceous habitats are areas of utmost importance to the natural environment and to the mitigation of warming, despite their importance today they are facing a new threat: tree planting.

There is no doubt that planting trees is a positive and important enterprise, but planting in savannahs will be a harmful factor. Unlike forests, herbaceous habitats in equatorial regions will suffer not only when trees are lost but also when there are too many trees.

Planting trees is accepted as one of the important solutions to mitigate global warming. World leaders have committed to the afforestation of 3.5 million square kilometers by 2030.

when according to a report Reforestation of 10 million square kilometers will result in the absorption of 205 gigatons of carbon, an amount that constitutes two thirds of all emissions since the industrial revolution.

According to the report, many of these trees will be planted in grasslands in equatorial regions, savannah areas that cover large areas and include grass covers and a sparse and changing cover of various trees. The question arises, is it right to turn a savannah into a forest?

Grasslands, like groves and forests, play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide. It is estimated that Grasslands cover about 20% of the world's land surface And among them About 30% of the carbon is stored in the soil.

These areas are similar in size to the equatorial forest areas support a huge biodiversity. They are home to lions, elephants and huge herds of wildebeest, species of deer and much more, similar in importance to many habitats. Savannas and grasslands are home to about a billion people, many of whom raise farm animals and agricultural crops. Grassy habitats are the origin of cultivated grains such as sorghum and millet that feed millions of people today. It is worth remembering that the human race developed and was born in the grasslands of the equatorial region of Africa, and if it was filled with trees, we might not have come down from the trees.

An increase in tree cover in savannas will cause animals and plants that prefer open grasslands to migrate out of them and become extinct, Surveys in DRAP, Australia and Brazil Show how biodiversity unique to savannas is lost as tree cover increases. When trees are added to an open area, processes in the habitat change: there are fewer fires that remove vegetation from its shade. The removal allows plants at ground level to develop and grow.

When more trees are added, the amount of food available for herbivores such as wildebeest, zebra, deer and others decreases, at the same time their chance of being eaten increases, Because trees are a hiding place for predators.

More trees in the area cause a decrease in the amount of water in the streams, as a result of preventing fires in the savannahs of Brazil The tree cover increased, and the amount of rainwater reaching the ground decreased.

It was found that when forests were planted in grassland or cultivated areas Flow amounts in the streams decreased by 50% and more than 10% of the streams dried up 
In the equatorial regions, herbaceous habitats provide water and food for grazing animals and people, as well as building materials, fuel and medicinal plants. Planting trees in such areas may harm millions of people.

Loss of grasslands in favor of forests will not give a climatic advantage since forest areas are darker than savannas which means thatIt is possible that they will absorb more heat. As the frequency of fires and periods of drought increase, Grasslands are more reliable carbon sinks than forests.

Now that the importance of the savannahs and the herbaceous habitats has been clarified, the question arises: how and why did a situation arise in which equatorial savannahs in the world are treated as areas that need restoration? The root of the problematic approach lies in the lack of understanding and knowledge about savannas. For example, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, defines any area of ​​five dunams (5,000 square meters) of which 10% is covered with trees as a forest. Hence, an African savanna area where there are fewer trees is a "damaged area" and therefore it is necessary to restore it and reforest it.

Despite the uniqueness of the herbaceous habitat and the multitude of species in it, the assumption that "forest is more important" endangers these habitats mainly in the equatorial regions but also in other regions such as Madagascar, India and Brazil. Even in England in recommendations to the public how and where to plant trees There is an emphasis on the prohibition to plant in grassy areas, and at the same time there is initiative To renew grass and pasture areas XNUMXproblem

To ensure the important existence of the herbaceous habitats, it is essential and necessary to ensure the recognition of the importance of savannas, which includes the unique advantage for people and other species.
For example, positive initiatives for planting on the border of the Sahel that will stop the spread of the desert, as well as the possibility created by the warming, for the reforestation of areas in Iceland created by the Vikings. In the same way, areas where forests grew in the historical past will be forested. In both cases there is no doubt that the initiative is blessed (,) (?)

There is no doubt about the importance of forests and the vital need to restore areas where trees have been cut down, and there is no doubt about the contribution of forests to the environment. However, it is appropriate that in the call for tree planting in the entire world to moderate the warming, the need to carefully calculate the general effects on the habitats should be included. It is necessary to plant the appropriate trees in the right places, and there is no risk of a situation where trees planted in the savannahs and herbaceous habitats will lose their uniqueness and importance forever.