#TropicalGrassyBiomes like the #Cerrado of South America are under threat of degradation by #Forestization.

Stop large-scale #TreePlanting in #GrassyBiomes. #Savannas are NOT "degraded forests".

Stop mapping global "forests" in terms of vegetation height and woody cover alone. That leads to misclassification of savannas as #forests.

#SavannasMatter

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/to-restore-brazils-cerrado-planting-trees-is-a-bad-option-experts-say/

@hakim

Excellent review of satellite remote sensing for mapping #GrassyBiomes at regional and global scales.

This is crucial for #SavannaScience and the prevention of #Forestization of #OpenNaturalEcosystems such as #TropicalGrassyBiomes.

The EU and FAO need to read this, and other recent related work, and then realise they need to update their antiquated definition of "forest" based only on veg structure and ignoring #FunctionalTraits.

#SavannasMatter

"Due to its vast landmass and unique ecosystems, Africa has the potential to contribute significantly to land-based mitigation and adaptation interventions, offering an estimated 21% of global potential for increased carbon storage on land."

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365623489_Policy_Brief_Finding_a_way_forward_for_Nature-based_Solutions_in_Africa's_grassy_ecosystems

#Forestization threatens #TropicalGrassyBiomes.