Is it possible to reforest degraded tropical lands to achieve economic and also biodiversity benefits?

摘要

Deforestation has led to a simplification of the world's landscapes. Only some of this deforested land is now being used productively and large areas are available for reforestation. Reforestation can be carried out in a variety of ways. The most common forms of reforestation such as monocultures of fast-growing exotic species often provide only a limited range of benefit but are widely used despite this disadvantage. While such plantations have a role to play they should not be seen as the only option available. Other alternative forms of reforestation involving secondary forests and more complicated plantation designs can potentially provide a wider range of goods, services and functional benefits. The paper briefly reviews some of these alternatives.