Forests in the future - No forest, no future
2024
Zanella A
The paper examines the crucial role of forests in regulating climate and biodiversity, proposing management and conservation approaches to address the climate crisis and maintain the planet’s balance. Migration to another planet is not feasible in the near term due to vast distances, the human body’s inability to thrive for extended periods outside of Earth-like conditions, and the necessity of co-evolving with a planet’s biodiversity. Biodiversity loss may be a primary driver of ongoing climate change, as living organisms profoundly influence Earth’s climate. Forest “structure” could bridge systemic and naturalistic forestry, providing a reference model for forest management, potentially including future space exploration. The humipedon, or topsoil layer, changes with tree age, preparing the next forest generation through the action of soil fauna. Prescribed burns should be limited to extreme cases to avoid negative impacts on biodiversity and soil function. To protect at least some primary forests (Intact Forest Landscapes), an economic incentive could be established for countries that preserve them, recognizing them as an inviolable planetary asset. Expanding existing forests by 25% could remove half of the CO2‚ released over the past 50 years, addressing half of the pressing climate issue. Finally, while space exploration remains compelling, a non-conflicting priority should be the restoration of planetary biodiversity. This would allow us to pursue space aspirations to connect with the distant universe as a source of biodiversity rather than as an escape from an environment we have made inhospitable to human life.
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