Reforestation Vs Environment Restorations
Who doesn't like to walk through a lush green environment, surrounded by trees and flowers while enjoying the scenic beauty?
I am sure we all do!
However, this greenery has been subjected to a lot of exploitation over the years, since we have stepped into the era of industrialization.
Therefore, to make some atonement for our evils, scientists have been working day and night towards improving this situation.
One of the first ideas that came up for improving the natural habitat is the concept of reforestation. If you're new to this concept, then let's discuss a bit about this!
What is Reforestation?
Loss of the forest and greenery is one of the major causes of the loss of biodiversity, and reforestation is one way to counter the dire situation.
Reforestation has proved to be beneficial to endangered species. It is a scientific word that encompasses not just planting trees and environmental protection, but also understanding the local climate, landscape styles, and soil types. It's a technique for improving human life quality, while also restoring natural habitats, and preserving resources for our future generations.
Reforestation has some basic similarities with the concept of afforestation. The only difference between them is that afforestation refers to the planting of trees in areas that were previously devoid of trees. Natural forests usually have the ability to replace their surroundings with a variety of plants due to their seed dispersal or propagule qualities
However, severely damaged forest areas cannot be restored on their own, unless we use some advanced plantation techniques, which is basically the purpose of reforestation.
Importance of Reforestation on Biodiversity:-
Of Course, reforestation plays a big role in restoring the forest and greenery, however,, it also has a few indirect impacts on the biodiversity and the surrounding climates:-
Reforestation plays a big role in reducing harmful gases to the environment. Forests act as biological carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This implies, that it can greatly reduce global warming across the globe.
Moreover, the forest and trees absorb carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and cars. According to a recent statistical analysis, forests can remove roughly around three billion tons of CO2 every year.
The position of the forest has an impact on temperature or the surrounding climate. Planting forest trees in tropical climates have a benefit over planting forest trees in northern climates. Reforestation in the tropical regions causes clouds to form, which deflects the sunlight and produces a drop in temperature.
Just within two decades, the tree plantations made in Costa Rica can generate up to 450 m³ of wood every hectare. Apart from that, there is a scarcity of teaks around the globe, which can be met by those plantation-grown forests.
We can also rely on controlled reforestation techniques to prevent soil erosion. As the roots of the plantation trees do a better job of holding onto the water before the soil. This also takes care of the ground table of that area, and percent droughts.
Does Reforestation Have Any Negative Impacts?
As we have seen until now, reforestation has a lot of benefits over biodiversity and the natural habitat. Many tree-planting initiatives also have other environmental goals, such as controlling water cycles, preventing soil erosion and drought, and rehabilitating wildlife habitats, in addition to reducing climate change.
And at times, they have socioeconomic purposes as well, such as reducing poverty and improving the health and welfare of local populations. Apart from that, many people are also depending on the forests and their resources for their livelihood.
However, there's a fine line he shouldn't cross while working on these initiatives, as uncontrolled reforestation can do a lot of harm.
If we start planting a lot of trees, without considering the number of nutrients in an area, there's a good chance of that land going barren over time. Apart from overplanting, we also have to see why types of trees are being planted. Planting any other trees apart from the species that are adaptable to that climate can adversely affect the entire ecosystem.
Final Thoughts:-
We can really deny the benefits that come along with reforestation. But, as you might have heard before, anything excessive will definitely be harmful. So, unless we don't become too greedy, a controlled approach to this practice of reforestation can do wonders for your environment!
Also read:- All you need To About Coral Bleaching
Author- Ramesh Chaurasia
A superior and highly experienced entrepreneur in the field of business for quite a long time now. Also, a philanthropist, author and public speaker who believes in working towards the overall well being and betterment of the society as a whole.