Mass tree-planting campaigns routinely fail to deliver the lasting climate and biodiversity impact they promise
#00112
Headline tree-planting counts measure seedlings in the ground, not living forest years later. Wrong species, wrong site, no aftercare, and monocultures mean large shares of planted trees die — yet the numbers are routinely used to claim climate and biodiversity impact.
#00114Fund native-species restoration through vetted local partners, and report multi-year survival — not seedlings planted
Fund local partners to restore native species on degraded land — not carbon-rich habitat that doesn't need trees — with multi-year aftercare and satellite-plus-field monitoring. Report trees alive over time, not seedlings planted.
#00116Prioritise assisted natural regeneration and protecting standing forest over transplanting nursery seedlings
Where land was recently forested, protect and prune regrowth from surviving roots and seed banks (assisted/farmer-managed natural regeneration) rather than transplanting nursery seedlings — far cheaper, with site-adapted species. Intact standing forest should take priority, as it