Natural forest regeneration: a good choice for biodiversity

Forests are full of surprises.

Parts of the Amazon, Panama’s Darien and many other places we think of as home to pristine primary forests are actually the outcome of centuries-old natural forest regeneration. Much of this regrowth in the Americas happened when Amerindians, around the time of European colonization, abandoned their fields and dramatically reduced their farming activities, while at the same time the need for forest conversion by early colonists was insignificant.

One of the key messages of this year’s International Day of Forests is that forests can come back.

Unfortunately, this may not be as true as it once was, especially where deforestation and forest degradation remain unabated and soil erosion is severe.  And many of the countries that pledged to restore millions of hectares of degraded land as part of the Bonn Challenge, a global effort to restore 350 million hectares of land by 2030, show high deforestation rates.

The post Natural forest regeneration: A good choice for biodiversity appeared first on CIFOR Forests News.

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