Pitfalls of Tree Planting Show Why We Need People-Centered Natural Climate Solutions

• Published in: Bioscience Vol. 70; no. 11; pp. 947 - 950
• Main Authors: FLEISCHMAN, FORREST, BASANT, SHISHIR, CHHATRE, ASHWINI, COLEMAN, ERIC A., FISCHER, HARRY W., GUPTA, DIVYA, GÜNERALP, BURAK, KASHWAN, PRAKASH, KHATRI, DIL, MUSCARELLA, ROBERT, POWERS, JENNIFER S., RAMPRASAD, VIJAY, RANA, PUSHPENDRA, SOLORZANO, CLAUDIA RODRIGUEZ, VELDMAN, JOSEPH W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.11.2020
• Subjects: climate; Ecology; Ekologi; environmental policy; indigenous peoples; planting; politics; risk; trees; Viewpoint
• ISSN: 0006-3568; 1525-3244; 1525-3244
• DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaa094

Scientists, corporations, mystics, and movie stars have convinced policymakers around the world that a massive campaign to plant trees should be an essential element of global climate policy. Public dialogue has emphasized potential benefits of tree planting while downplaying pitfalls and limitations that are well established by social and ecological research. We argue that if natural climate solutions are to succeed while economies decarbonize (Griscom et al. 2017), policymakers must recognize and avoid the expense, risk, and damage that poorly designed and hastily implemented tree plantings impose on ecosystems and people. We propose that people-centered climate policies should be developed that support the social, economic, and political conditions that are compatible with the conservation of Earth's diversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Such a shift in focus, away from tree planting and toward people and ecosystems, must be rooted in the understanding that natural climate solutions can only be effective if they respond to the needs of the rural and indigenous people who manage ecosystems for their livelihoods. To motivate this shift in focus, we highlight ten pitfalls and misperceptions that arise when large-scale tree planting campaigns fail to acknowledge the social and ecological complexities of the landscapes they aim to transform. We then describe more ecologically effective and socially just strategies to improve climate mitigation efforts.