Natural forest regrowth offers path to climate goals at 96% lower cost
University study finds allowing forests to regenerate naturally beats tree-planting programs on carbon, biodiversity, and cost.
What to know
- Natural forest regeneration costs up to 96% less than tree-planting programs while delivering equal or superior carbon storage and biodiversity outcomes.
- Research identifies "holistic hotspots" in Indonesia, Madagascar, Philippines, Mexico, and Malaysia where regeneration provides high climate and biodiversity benefits at low cost.
- Cost advantage is critical: natural regeneration could enable nations to meet the 2022 Kunming-Montreal pledge to restore 30% of degraded land within realistic budgets.
“For natural regeneration, people just need to check the land for invasive species and remove them, make sure there are adequate seed sources, provide protection from fire, grazing animals and humans, and then it is mostly self-sufficient.”
Jiaqi Li, Ph.D. candidate, University of Queensland · Phys.org
Jiaqi Li Ph.D. candidate, University of QueenslandDr. Brooke Williams Senior author, University of NewcastleMatthew Luskin Associate Professor, University of QueenslandUniversity of Queensland and University of Newcastle Research institutions
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As nations race to restore ecosystems and curb # climate change, research has shown that letting # nature do the work is a cost-effective, viable solution. Scientists found that natural # forest regeneration delivered substantial carbon and # biodiversity benefits and could be up to 96% cheaper than traditional tree-planting programs. Forests are…