The Centre for Wildlife Studies said that while tree planting is widely promoted as a nature-based solution to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and rural livelihoods, many programmes fall short of delivering these benefits, often because trees do not survive or are planted in ways that limit their ecological value.
| Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY/File photo
A global team of scientists in a new study conducted near Nagarahole and Bandipur Tiger Reserve has revealed that while there is strong interest in planting trees, farmers tend to prefer planting methods that maximise private benefits, such as planting timber trees along farm boundaries.
The study titled Guiding private afforestation to raise public goods provision: Understanding farmers’ multi-dimensional preferences for trees in India, published in Ecological Economics, found that tree-planting designs that offer greater biodiversity and carbon benefits are less preferred and often require financial incentives to encourage adoption.
Published – April 15, 2026 09:31 pm IST
