Agroforestry has reduced deforestation in Southeast Asia

A study has measured the impact of agroforestry in the area: over 250 thousand hectares per year were saved with nearly 59 million tons of CO2 avoided

by Matteo Cavallito

 

Agroforestry can be a natural solution to counter deforestation and mitigate climate change, especially in tropical regions with high carbon stocks. This is highlighted by, the case of Southeast Asia, where this particular practice, which combines native plant protection with agricultural cultivation, has shown positive results overall.

This was claimed by researchers from the National University of Singapore, Vietnam National University in Hanoi and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Whose study, published in Nature Sustainability, assessed trends in deforestation rates in 38 subnational regions in the area between 2015 and 2023.

Does agroforestry impact climate?

“Agroforestry, the integration of trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, can deliver multiple ecological and socio-economic co-benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, improved soil health, increased agricultural productivity and carbon sequestration,” the researchers explain. Its multiple benefits, they add, have been widely studied. Some questions, however, remain unanswered beginning with the ability of this strategy to influence land use and total carbon balance.

“So far, it is unclear whether agroforestry is climate-positive at landscape scale,” the study continues. “Various mechanisms have been suggested on how agroforestry could increase or reduce deforestation at that scale, but their cumulative effect is rarely tested.”

According to some, this strategy may provide new sources of income for local communities by reducing the need for deforestation to create farmland. According to another hypothesis, however, when it becomes highly profitable it may incentivize further forest destruction and the development of infrastructure to transport products.

250 thousand hectares of forest saved

The study used a causal analysis to assess how agroforestry influences logging in Southeast Asian regions. The data collected over the period provided some relevant insights. In general, for example, the practice led on average to a reduction in deforestation to an extent of 1.08 percent.

This effect, observed in 22 of the 38 regions analyzed, resulted in additional protection of more than 250 thousand hectares per year and a reduction in emissions of nearly 59 million tons of CO2.

The researchers noted that in the other 16 regions observed, deforestation increased over the years but to a lesser extent (0.64 percent). Agroforestry also had a positive impact in many forest-rich areas with high carbon concentrations and characterized, often, by valuable habitats for biodiversity conservation of species.

Community management has been crucial

In general, silvicultural practice has reduced deforestation in Laos, parts of northern Vietnam, northern and eastern Myanmar, Sumatra, Borneo, and peninsular Malaysia. Deforestation, by contrast, has increased in eastern Cambodia. But what factors were crucial? Previous studies have shown that agroforestry is influenced by many factors including the choice of community management. A point that is supported by more recent experience.

“For instance, Indonesia has rapidly expanded land designated as ‘social forestry areas’ from 1.8 Mha in 2018 to 5 Mha in 2022, which includes community-managed agroforestry among other allowed uses,” the researchers explain.

“If well-implemented and managed, this may make an important contribution, through both in situ carbon sequestration and avoided deforestation to Indonesia achieving net zero in its forestry and other land-use sector.” In the future, strategies such as protecting land rights and working with local communities will continue to drive agroforestry success and emissions reductions, and therefore, “will be crucial for Southeast Asia to achieve its climate goals.”