Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

Fangyuan Hua; Xiaoyang Wang; Xinlei Zheng; Brendan Fisher; Lin Wang; Jianguo Zhu; Ya Tang; Douglas W. Yu; David S. Wilcove

doi:10.1038/ncomms12717

Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

Fangyuan Hua, Xiaoyang Wang, Xinlei Zheng, Brendan Fisher, Lin Wang, Jianguo Zhu, Ya Tang, Douglas W. Yu, David S. Wilcove

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

255 Citations (Scopus)

22 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world’s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP’s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on birds and bees in Sichuan Province, we find that GFGP reforestation results in modest gains (via mixed forest) and losses (via mono- cultures) of bird diversity, along with major losses of bee diversity. Moreover, all current modes of GFGP reforestation fall short of restoring biodiversity to levels approximating native forests. However, even within existing modes of reforestation, GFGP can achieve greater biodiversity gains by promoting mixed forests over monocultures; doing so is unlikely to entail major opportunity costs or pose unforeseen economic risks to households.

Original language	English
Article number	12717
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12717
Publication status	Published - 6 Sep 2016

Access to Document

10.1038/ncomms12717Licence: CC BY

Published manuscript
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Final published version, 1.26 MB

http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ncomms12717Licence: CC BY

Douglas Yu
- Douglas.Yuuea.acuk
- School of Biological Sciences - Professor
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation - Member
- Organisms and the Environment - Member
Person: Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching & Research

Cite this

@article{dacba71e805a4544a41393b8bf56a06c,

title = "Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world{\textquoteright}s largest reforestation programme",

abstract = "Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China{\textquoteright}s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world{\textquoteright}s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP{\textquoteright}s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on birds and bees in Sichuan Province, we find that GFGP reforestation results in modest gains (via mixed forest) and losses (via mono- cultures) of bird diversity, along with major losses of bee diversity. Moreover, all current modes of GFGP reforestation fall short of restoring biodiversity to levels approximating native forests. However, even within existing modes of reforestation, GFGP can achieve greater biodiversity gains by promoting mixed forests over monocultures; doing so is unlikely to entail major opportunity costs or pose unforeseen economic risks to households.",

author = "Fangyuan Hua and Xiaoyang Wang and Xinlei Zheng and Brendan Fisher and Lin Wang and Jianguo Zhu and Ya Tang and Yu, {Douglas W.} and Wilcove, {David S.}",

note = "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article{\textquoteright}s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",

year = "2016",

month = sep,

day = "6",

doi = "10.1038/ncomms12717",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

AU - Hua, Fangyuan

AU - Wang, Xiaoyang

AU - Zheng, Xinlei

AU - Fisher, Brendan

AU - Wang, Lin

AU - Zhu, Jianguo

AU - Tang, Ya

AU - Yu, Douglas W.

AU - Wilcove, David S.

N1 - This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PY - 2016/9/6

Y1 - 2016/9/6

N2 - Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world’s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP’s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on birds and bees in Sichuan Province, we find that GFGP reforestation results in modest gains (via mixed forest) and losses (via mono- cultures) of bird diversity, along with major losses of bee diversity. Moreover, all current modes of GFGP reforestation fall short of restoring biodiversity to levels approximating native forests. However, even within existing modes of reforestation, GFGP can achieve greater biodiversity gains by promoting mixed forests over monocultures; doing so is unlikely to entail major opportunity costs or pose unforeseen economic risks to households.

AB - Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world’s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP’s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on birds and bees in Sichuan Province, we find that GFGP reforestation results in modest gains (via mixed forest) and losses (via mono- cultures) of bird diversity, along with major losses of bee diversity. Moreover, all current modes of GFGP reforestation fall short of restoring biodiversity to levels approximating native forests. However, even within existing modes of reforestation, GFGP can achieve greater biodiversity gains by promoting mixed forests over monocultures; doing so is unlikely to entail major opportunity costs or pose unforeseen economic risks to households.

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms12717

DO - 10.1038/ncomms12717

M3 - Article

VL - 7

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

SN - 2041-1723

M1 - 12717

ER -

Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

Abstract

Access to Document

Profiles

Douglas Yu

Cite this