A new report from Honolulu-based Terraformation, Inc. is titled “Why Native Forest Restoration Matters.”
It reviews the latest scientific and economic research comparing the impacts of biodiverse versus mono-species forest restoration efforts.
Despite the growing momentum for forests as a climate solution, the majority of tree-planting initiatives risk seriously underdelivering on the real climate and social impacts forest restoration could offer.
Authored by Dr. Victoria Meyer and Lyndon Lee, the report delves into the issue that almost half of the 292 million hectares committed for restoration rely on unsustainable monoculture plantations, which harm rather than enhance the environment and provide fewer long-term benefits for local people and economies.
But today’s carbon markets don’t fully value the co-benefits of biodiverse native forests. To spur native forest restoration, we need markets that value biodiversity.