Restroring tropical forests as a mitigation of global climate change: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Restoring tropical forests as a mitigation measure of climate change has been a widely accepted method. However, the areas in which afforestation is taking place might be misinterpreted. These areas are identified as suitable for afforestation as they are assumed to be secondary products of agriculture. However, most of these areas are ancient grassy biomes that store significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Therefore, this research aims to provide an insight in the efficiency of restoring tropical forests in tropical grassy biomes. Via a meta-analysis the differences between carbon storage in restored tropical forests and tropical grassy biomes have shown to be insignificant. Yet, assuming that restored forest will eventually reach a mature state, the differences in carbon storage between mature tropical forest and tropical grassy biomes found via meta-analysis are significant. Concluding, this research shows that mature forests can store more carbon than tropical grassy biomes while secondary tropical forests cannot.