Planting 'millions of trees' may not be the answer to deforestation | Letters

Large-scale plantations offer little biodiversity and can impact negatively on hydrology and local land rights, writes Prof Tim ForsythThe announcement at Cop26 to halt and reverse global deforestation over the next decade (Cop26: world leaders agree deal to end deforestation, 1 November) is to be welcomed, but still raises important questions about the role of tree plantations. For years, environmentalists have not just resisted the destruction of old-growth forests, but also the conversion of landscapes to large-scale tree plantations, because they offer little biodiversity and can impact negatively on hydrology and local land rights. Yet plantations are still classified as "forests" by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and various organisations propose them as means of "reversing" deforestation, or achieving net zero carbon emissions (where emissions are balanced by activities that capture carbon). Continue reading...