Dryland and grassy biomes: crucial, yet poorly understood

“Tree planting has long been promoted to avert climate change, with forest restoration initiatives guided by the forest and landscape restoration (FLR) framework.

Much of the focus for reforestation and afforestation is on developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America, where large areas of rangelands in drylands and grassy biomes are portrayed as degraded, unused, and in need of more trees. From a rangelands perspective, two main concerns emerge from the global FLR thrust.

First, an incorrect understanding of the ecology of drylands and grassy biomes encourages afforestation, grazing restriction and fire suppression, with negative impacts on hydrology, carbon storage, biodiversity, livestock production and