Tropical forests can regrow if left untouched by humans for about 20 years: Study

At a time when catastrophic climate change becomes a new normal, scientists reveal some positive ways to deal with it. According to the new study published in Science.org, it states that tropical forests can bounce back to their earlier stage if no humans interfere with their routine growing technique. It means that tropical forests can regrow if they are left untouched by humans for about 20 years. As per researchers, the process encourages the old forest flora and fauna to regain the growth of new trees. The researchers termed the process "entirely natural" and added there is no need to add "any synthetic" fertilisers to the development of the new plants.

As per the scientists involved in the research, it is not too late to reverse the harm that humans have created in the past few decades which resulted in catastrophic floods, forest fires, frequent avalanches, earthquakes and other disasters, that kill over a million people across the globe every year. While speaking to The Guardian, Lourens Poorter, professor in functional ecology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said that the new research exhibits that any generation can work on it. He called the recent development "practical" and added that it can be "achievable". Poorter, who has also contributed to the research and is the lead author of the paper said, "20 years quite sound realistic that I and even my next generation can think of."

"It also helps the policymakers to plan the development projects as per the requirements of plants and other flora and fauna present in the forest," added Poorter.

Natural solution for ecosystem

The author stated that this method is a better option as it takes less time to recover nutrients. He said that it is not essential to plant more trees when nature already does it. While exploring, the group of more than 90 researchers who have joined hands to examine how tropical forest regrowth takes place, they found different attributes recovered at different rates, with soil recovering in less than a decade and species diversity and biomass recovering in little more than a century. In the conclusion, the researchers noted that secondary forests should be embraced as a low-cost, natural solution for ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation.

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