Deforestation remedies can have unintended consequences
Wednesday, July 2, 2014 - 20:01
in Earth & Climate
When it comes to fixing deforestation and forest degradation, good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. Among other points, researchers note that even when there’s technically no net deforestation, tropical forests can still suffer. For example, if degraded natural forests are replaced by plantations of invasive exotic trees or low water-use efficiency trees, biodiversity will diminish, wildlife could suffer and soil erosion could render streams unusable by local villagers.