The long shadow of colonial forestry is a threat to savannas and grasslands [The Conversation, 31 December 2020]

Title:

The long shadow of colonial forestry is a threat to savannas and grasslands

 

Author:

Susanne Vetter, Associate Professor in Plant Ecology, Rhodes University

Published:

The Conversation, 31 December 2020

https://theconversation.com/the-long-shadow-of-colonial-forestry-is-a-threat-to-savannas-and-grasslands-151700

From the article:

Tree planting to restore forests, capture carbon and improve the land has gained strong momentum in recent years. The Bonn Challenge and its offshoots such as AFR100, initiatives focused on forest restoration, have persuaded developing countries to commit millions of hectares of land to these projects. Funding for AFR100 has been secured from international donors with more than a billion US dollars pledged over the next 10 years.  

 

This is a potential threat to drylands, grasslands, savannas and the rangelands they support.

University of Bern / Universität Bern, Switzerland - Land management in forest and grasslands: how much can we intensify?

Title:

Land management in forest and grasslands: how much can we intensify?

 

Published:

University of Bern / Universität Bern, 26 October 2020

https://www.unibe.ch/news/media_news/media_relations_e/media_releases/2020/media_releases_2020/land_management_in_forest_and_grasslands_how_much_can_we_intensify/index_eng.html

From the article:

High land-use intensity reduces the beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem services. This is the main result of a study conducted by an international team with participation of the University of Bern. The study assessed, for the first time, the effects of land management on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. It identified thresholds of management intensity, where these relationships change dramatically, which species groups were most important in driving services, and the ecosystem services that are at risk when management is intensified.