April 26, 2022
Planting trees in pastureland increases climate resilience for communities in the tropics
Researchers from the University of Washington collaborated with The Nature Conservancy and universities across the country on a study that discovered the benefits of adding trees to pastureland to create natural cooling effects that help combat rising temperatures in tropical regions. As these regions struggle to adapt to climate effects of rising temperatures, this cooling practice, known as silvopasture, was found to benefit the people and wildlife of these regions by helping increase their resilience to climate change.
Using satellite data from 2018, the researchers compared average annual temperatures across multiple regions in the tropics with existing data from pasturelands containing different levels of tree coverage. With this knowledge of local cooling effects of the trees, they examined future global temperature projections to determine which communities would benefit most from practicing silvopasture.
Agroforestry systems like silvopasture provide a range of socioeconomic and ecological benefits including increased food security and better access to traditional medicines in rural communities. The researchers hope that their findings highlight the benefits of planting trees in pastureland areas to boost the resilience of vulnerable communities and benefit climate health for the world as a whole.