Over 5 million farmland trees vanished in India between 2018-2022
What's the story
Between 2018 and 2022, India witnessed the disappearance of more than five million large farmland trees due to altered cultivation practices, as per a study published in Nature Sustainability. The research indicates a "concerning trajectory" where traditional agroforestry systems are being replaced by paddy rice fields. The researchers observed an emerging trend of large, mature trees being removed from these fields.
Plantation change
Shift to block plantations evident in Indian agriculture
The research team, including members from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, discovered that trees are now being grown in separate block plantations with lower ecological value. These block plantations typically involve fewer species of trees and have seen a rise across several Indian states such as Telangana, Haryana, and Maharashtra. This shift was confirmed through interviews conducted with local villagers.
Cause analysis
Reasons behind tree removal and expansion of paddy fields
The decision to remove trees is often influenced by the perceived low benefits of the trees, and worries that their shading effect may negatively impact crop yields, especially for Neem trees. The researchers also discovered that the growth of paddy rice fields was enabled by an increased water supply resulting from new boreholes. These findings have raised concerns among the researchers, given the current emphasis on agroforestry as a vital natural climate solution.
Ecological impact
Agroforestry's role in climate change and biodiversity
The authors of the study highlighted agroforestry's crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, livelihoods, and biodiversity. Despite their significance in generating socio-ecological benefits and absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, agroforestry trees are being lost due to a lack of robust monitoring mechanisms.
Technological approach
AI-based models used to track tree loss
Researchers employed AI to detect individual non-forest trees each year. By monitoring the tree crown over time, they analyzed the changes. The researchers mapped around 600 million farmland trees, excluding block plantations, and monitored them over the past decade. They found that approximately 11% of large trees, each with a crown size of 96 square meters, and mapped in 2010/2011, had vanished by 2018. The authors clarified that these findings may seem contradictory to official reports.