Reforestation
10 golden rules for reforestation
- Protect existing forest first
- Reforestation doesn't easily compensate for the losses of deforestation
- Old- and second-growth, degraded and restored forests are all valuable
- Work together
- Involve local communities / stakeholders with interactive participation in every project phase
- Aim to maximize biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals
- Restoring biodiversity will maximize carbon sequestration & help deliver socio-economic benefits
- Select appropriate areas for reforestation
- Only target previously forested lands
- Connect or expand existing forest
- Do not displace activities that will cause deforestation elsewhere
- Use natural regeneration wherever possible
- It can be cheaper and more efficient than tree planting (if conditions are suitable)
- Works best on lightly degraded sites or those close to existing forest
- OR Plant species to maximize biodiversity AND Use resilient plant
material
- Always plant a mix of species
- Use as many natives as possible
- Include rare, endemic, and endangered species
- promote mutualistic interactions
- Avoid invasive species AND
- Incorporate appropriate genetic variability
- Pay attention to provenance
- Plan ahead for infrastructure
- Use locally available infrastructure, capacity, and supply chain, or build it into the project
- Refer to seed standards to ensure max seed quality & process efficiency
- Provide training and use local knowledge
- Learn by doing
- Research existing data and perform trials
- Adapt management accordingly
- Monitor the results beyond project life
- Use appropriate indicators according to project goals
- Make it pay
- Ensure the projects economic sustainability
- Income can come from carbon credits, NTFPs, Watershed & cultural services
- Ensure the economic benefits reach rural and poor local communities