For example, eucalyptus grows fast and straight, making it a lucrative timber product. Native to Australia and some northern islands, its leaves feed koalas, which have evolved to tolerate a powerful poison they contain. But in Africa and South America—where these trees are grown for wood, fuel and, increasingly, for carbon storage—they have far less value to wildlife. They are also known to cause water depletion and exacerbation of forest fires.
Experts acknowledge that forest restoration and carbon storage are complex, with commercial species playing an important role. People need wood, a renewable product with a lower carbon footprint than concrete or steel, as well as paper and fuel for cooking.
Sometimes planting fast-growing species for harvest can help conserve surrounding endemic forests. And, by strategically adding native species, nurseries can help biodiversity by creating wildlife corridors to bridge disconnected habitat areas.
“This restoration movement cannot happen without the private sector,” said Michael Becker, communications officer for 1t.org, a group created by the World Economic Forum to promote the conservation and growth of a trillion trees with the help of the private investment. “Historically, there have been bad actors, but we have to get them on board and do the right thing.”
One of the challenges is that helping biodiversity does not offer the financial return of carbon storage or timber markets.
Many governments have set regulations for reforestation, but they often provide ample room for manoeuvre.
In Wales, one of the most deforested countries in Europe, the government offers incentives for reforestation. But those who do this task only have to include 25 percent of endemic species to be eligible for government grants. In Kenya and Brazil, rows of eucalypts grow on land that was once ecologically rich forest and savannah. In Peru, a company called Reforesta Peru is planting trees on degraded Amazonian land, but increasingly using cloned eucalyptus and teak for export.