Activities such as agriculture, ranching, and power generation are transforming the earth’s landscapes. Forests and their biodiversity are rapidly being wiped out around the world, without realizing that we are threatening our own survival. Is it possible to design friendly landscapes where biodiversity and humans can coexist in a sustainable way?
Our recent study indicates yes, and we know how to do it. Decades of research on how species respond to the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of their natural habitats have allowed us to understand their ecological requirements. Based on this knowledge we can identify the most urgent and efficient conservation measures.
As we detail in the work, there are four steps to follow to achieve landscapes that benefit biodiversity and promote human well-being at the same time.
Step 1: stop deforestation
The first and most urgent thing is to stop deforestation. Forests are home to most of the terrestrial species on the planet. Deforestation is considered the greatest threat to biodiversity.
It is estimated that about 50% of all the trees in the world have disappeared since the beginning of human civilization. Today more than 15 billion trees are cut down each year (about 500 trees per second).
About 43% of the remaining trees (3.04 trillion) are found in tropical and subtropical forests, which are currently the most deforested in the world. Therefore, if we want to avoid the extinction of millions of species on the planet, we must stop deforestation.
Step 2: recover the lost forest
In many regions, the remaining forest is insufficient to ensure the future of biodiversity. Therefore, restoring lost forest is a priority, especially in the landscapes that need it most.
But how much forest should we keep in the landscape? Our review indicates that a conservative figure is to have at least 40% of the landscape covered by forest. This figure supports recent proposals to conserve half the planet. This percentage may be too low to preserve tropical species. In the tropics we should conserve a higher percentage of forests.
Step 3: preserve lots of small areas
Conservation (step 1) and restoration (step 2) should not focus on a few large areas, but on many small areas.
Each forest fragment can contain unique species, and therefore a larger set of small fragments usually contains more species than a few large fragments.
In addition, by increasing the number of fragments in the landscape, the distance between them is reduced, which facilitates the movement of species and their obtaining of resources.
Step 4: improve the quality of land used by humans
Finally, we must make the productive lands surrounding the forest fragments as environmentally friendly as possible. For this, among other measures, we recommend:
Reduce the extent of land that is harmful to biodiversity, such as large estates devoid of trees for livestock and monocultures.
Stimulate agricultural practices adapted to the environmental conditions (soil, water, climate and biota) of each region to reduce inputs, such as water and agrochemicals.
Promote food production through agroforestry systems that combine native trees, crops and / or domestic animals on the same land.
Delimit productive lands with living fences, such as hedges or the like.
Avoid the expansion of roads, hydroelectric dams and mining, especially in the vicinity of natural areas.
Promote economic activities that value conserved forests, such as ecotourism or the sustainable trade of forest products.
Benefits for humans
Forests are not only home to millions of indigenous people. They also provide endless goods and services.
Forests and other wooded elements provide wood, firewood, livestock fodder, edible plants, meat, cash crops, and medicinal plants for local communities. They also play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the planet, regulating the cycles of water and many basic elements for life (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.).
Large tree masses act as huge carbon sinks and thus prevent global warming. Forest fragments also cool the local environment and help regulate the quantity and quality of water. By buffering the rains, they prevent erosion and loss of soil nutrients, thus contributing to the sustainability of agriculture.
Other no less important services include the regeneration of degraded areas, the pollination of crops and the biological control of pests and pandemics such as COVID-19.
Building the ideal landscape together
Today few doubt the current environmental crisis, but they do have a solution. Science has revealed that solutions do exist, although their implementation will require everyone’s effort.
From politics, measures should be promoted that stop large-scale deforestation and promote restoration, such as the creation of biological reserves and corridors and payment for environmental services. Incentives for biodiversity-friendly crops are also very valuable, as can taxes on more environmentally expensive products (such as meat).
Society can also support the cause. Any effort, no matter how small, can add up and make a big positive impact.
A simple and immediate way to protect forests is to change our diet, especially to one based on plants, something healthy for us and for the planet.
We can make donations to causes such as the purchase of land for conservation and restoration.
We can be more conscientious consumers, prioritizing the purchase of local products, especially organic, and avoiding the purchase of products that involve the conversion of forests.
We must reduce our consumption. Although we may not realize it, energy, transportation, food and beverages, housing, including furniture and appliances in our homes, directly or indirectly demand many forest resources.
Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez, Full Researcher specialized in ecology of fragmented landscapes at the Institute for Ecosystem and Sustainability Research, UNAM Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
