Natural forest regrowth offers a lower-cost path to climate and #biodiversity goals

by University of Queensland, edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Robert Egan
August 20, 2026

Excerpt: "As nations race to restore #ecosystems and curb #ClimateChange, research has shown that letting nature do the work is a cost-effective, viable solution. A study from the University of Queensland and the University of Newcastle found that natural forest regeneration delivered substantial carbon and #biodiversity benefits and could be up to 96% cheaper than traditional #TreePlanting programs. The work is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

"School of the Environment Ph.D. candidate Jiaqi Li said the team mapped how the costs and benefits of natural regeneration varied across the tropics.

" 'Nature is a great gardener. Sometimes we just need to get out of its way while providing a bit of support,' Li said.

" 'For tree planting, you need to purchase seeds and hire workers or recruit volunteers to plant and manage them, which is costly.

" 'For natural regeneration, people just need to check the land for #InvasiveSpecies and remove them, make sure there are adequate seed sources, provide protection from fire, #GrazingAnimals and humans, and then it is mostly self-sufficient.

" 'In many cases of natural regeneration, studies show that you can end up with a forest that could store more carbon and is more #biodiverse than a planted forest.' "

Read more:
phys.org/news/2026-08-natural-…

#SolarPunkSunday #ForestRegrowth #Trees #Forests #NaturalForestRegrowth #InvasiveSpeciesRemoval #HelpingNature #MoreTrees #MoreForests