Making Way for Trees? Changes in Land-Use, Habitats and Protected Areas in Great Britain under 'Global Tree Restoration Potential'
| Autor: | Francis Rayns, James Bennett, Marco J. Van De Wiel, Sara Burbi, Liz Trenchard, Martin Wilkes, Barbara Smith, Sue Charlesworth, Mark Tilzey, Ulrich Schmutz, Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Canopy
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Tree planting Geography Planning and Development TJ807-830 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law TD194-195 01 natural sciences Grassland Renewable energy sources urban planning agroforestry Urban planning habitats GE1-350 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Tree canopy geography.geographical_feature_category Land use Environmental effects of industries and plants Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment Agroforestry Global warming conservation land use tree restoration Environmental sciences Geography Habitat protected areas |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability Volume 12 Issue 14 Sustainability, Vol 12, Iss 5845, p 5845 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/su12145845 |
| Popis: | Numerous tree planting initiatives have been launched worldwide, based on the idea that carbon capture by trees can help to limit global warming. A recent study estimated the additional tree canopy cover that could be established given the growing conditions in every square kilometre of land on earth that is not already forested, urbanised, or used for crop production. It reported a total &ldquo tree restoration potential&rdquo of > 900 million ha worldwide and identified hotspots where opportunities for tree planting initiatives may be the greatest. With the potential for an estimated 4.2 million ha of additional canopy cover, one such hotspot is Great Britain. We quantify the extent of habitats, land uses, and protected areas that would be impacted by tree planting on this scale in Great Britain and discuss the potential social&ndash ecological trade-offs involved. Our findings show that realising the &ldquo would mean a considerable upheaval for the British landscape with 30&ndash 50% of ecologically valuable habitats lost and a reduction of 44% in the area of improved grassland. Up to 21% of land protected by law for its ecological, scientific, scenic, or cultural value would be impacted. Importantly, we demonstrate that an alternative approach based on increasing tree canopy cover by up to 20% in urban areas and on cropland could make a substantial contribution to tree planting targets, potentially offsetting losses elsewhere. Such shifts in the structure and function of the British landscape will depend on deep changes in the food system, evidence-based decisions about which existing habitats to protect, and a long-term commitment to tree planting and maintenance. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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