Woody encroachment entails the conversion of open habitats to habitats with greater tree cover and/or shrub density. This is a dire prospect because open ecosystems are characterised by a grassy understory and a scattering of native tree species. A different colonialism threatens open ecosystems today: instead of timber, many see trees as providers of carbon sequestration potential, and open ecosystems as encroachments that deprive humans of access to this potential. In fact, most of India’s open ecosystems have stories to tell of ruin led by artificially introduced plants. We also need long-term ecological monitoring in open ecosystems because they provide valuable fine-scale information.

Source: The Hindu August 01, 2024 23:10 UTC