Tropical forests can recover surprisingly quickly on deforested lands

Dec 15, 2021

Forests are growing around a deforested patch of land.

Tropical forest regrowth is an effective and low-cost, nature-based strategy for promoting sustainable development. Image: Unsplash/ Renaldo Matamoro

Robin Chazdon

Senior Fellow, Global Restoration Initiative, World Resources Institute

Bruno Hérault

Tropical Forest Scientist, Forests & Societies Research Unit, Cirad

Catarina Conte Jakovac

Associate professor of Plant Science, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Lourens Poorter

Professor of Functional Ecology, Wageningen University

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This graphic shows how four groups of forest attributes – soil, ecosystem functioning, forest structure and tree biodiversity – recover as tropical forests regrow on former farm and pasture lands. Image: Pixels&Ink

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