Open letter: There are more than just trees and forests to be conserved and restored
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
Tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas have historically been neglected in global and local conservation policies. As a result, nearly half of their coverage has been lost. In 2023, the world's most biodiverse savanna (Brazilian Cerrado) lost 1.110.326 ha, increasing the rate of land conversion by 67.7% (MapBiomas, 2024). The resulting biodiversity and ecosystem service losses, including the ability to mitigate climate change, are profound and irreversible. As scientists specialized in ecology, conservation, and restoration, from around the world, we call on policymakers at COP 16 to act decisively: Tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas matter for biodiversity protection, and the future of this planet relies on these ecosystems to the same extent it relies on forests. Grasslands and savannas harbor an extraordinary biodiversity of light-loving fauna and flora, with up to 60 plants per square meter in some regions (Silva Menezes et al., 2018; Wilson et al., 2012). Many of these species are endemic and at risk of extinction. These ancient ecosystems are home to an astonishing cultural legacy and diversity. They are not only crucial for species conservation but also water security and carbon storage. For example, most of the major rivers in the Amazon originate in montane grasslands in the Andes, the Cerrado, and the Guyana Plateau. Peat soils in South American savannas store more carbon belowground than tropical forests do aboveground. These carbon stocks, some dating back 40,000 years, are at risk if inappropriate land use practices like soil drainage or large-scale tree planting disrupt natural water cycles. Once open ecosystems are degraded, they rarely regain their original biodiversity and function. Effective restoration remains a challenge, while promising, restored open ecosystems rarely fully recover the complexity, diversity, or resilience of pristine ecosystems (Nerlekar & Veldman, 2020; Pilon et al., 2023; Zaloumis & Bond, 2011). This makes immediate conservation the most effective tool in mitigating biodiversity loss and maintaining ecosystem services. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is meaningless without a solid policy to reduce and stop land conversion. Conserving the remaining tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas is the only assurance that future generations will benefit from the services these ecosystems provide. We believe in the potential of restoration, but it cannot replace effective biodiversity protection. Robust environmental policies must be grounded in scientific evidence and prioritize both present and future societal well-being. As scientists and citizens, we emphasize the critical need to conserve what remains of these ecosystems. While science works toward restoring what has been lost, conservation is our best defense against the biodiversity crisis and the loss of essential ecosystem services. Natashi Pilon, Franciele Peixoto, Rafael S. Oliveira, Ana Carolina C. Oliveira, and Giselda Durigan led the initiative and wrote the letter; all the 137 authors read and agreed with all the content of the letter. We declare no conflict of interest. There are no data associated with the paper.
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Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction distillée sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Apprise à partir de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et de 10 348 étiquettes directes de Gemma. Le mode candidate est l'union des têtes enseignantes seuillées; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont ni des étiquettes humaines ni des étiquettes directes de modèles de pointe.
Scores Codex et Gemma par catégorie
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Communication savante | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Science ouverte | 0,001 | 0,002 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,001 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule tête enseignante, pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».