Scientists found that trees like baobab and acacia shade 467 million more hectares of land than previously thought. Photo: iStockphotoMilan: Vast tracts of land previously considered barren are actually covered by forests “hiding in plain sight”, scientists said on Friday, a discovery that could help the fight against climate change and desertification. The discovery allows for more accurate assessments of how much greenhouse gases are absorbed from the atmosphere by the world’s vegetation, FAO experts said. “Drylands absorb more carbon than we thought and they can actually help mitigate climate change,” Eva Muller, director of FAO’s forestry policy and resources division said. Thanks to the new method, “hidden” forests were found on every continent, with the largest concentrations in sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, India, Australia, South America, Canada and Russia, the study said.

Source: Mint May 13, 2017 11:03 UTC