[IYRPsupportgroup] Discussion on planting trees in rangelands (7 mails)

[Ann Waters-Bayer]

Dear all,

We have all seen some mails in this listserv about planting trees in Mongolia. However, because Barbara, Maryam and I (who moderate this listserv) don’t want to have too much traffic on it (we promised people who signed up that they wouldn’t receive many mails via this list), we collected the mails about tree-planting and have put them all in this mail, from first to last mail. I hope I caught them all.

The prospects of planting trees in rangelands has generated a good discussion and highlights one of the many reasons why we need the IYRP to be designated so that more work can be done to fill knowledge gaps and raise awareness about rangelands and pastoralism. The Government of Mongolia’s leadership in this regard has been instrumental in achieving great progress in bringing the IYRP proposal through the FAO approval process and now to the UN General Assembly.

An international discussion like this one on the IYRP Support Group listserv allows countries to learn from each other. If any of you would like to send more contributions to this discussion about planting trees in rangelands, please go ahead – and we will once again collect several contributions and put them all into one mail. We hope this will allow discussion to continue but without overloading people’s mailboxes.

Cheers,

Ann

From: Flintan, Fiona (ILRI) <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>

Sent: Sunday, November 7, 2021 9:57 PM

To: iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu> <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>

Subject: [IYRPsupportgroup] President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

I am wondering where this tree planting will take place: https://montsame.mn/en/read/279993 <https://montsame.mn/en/read/279993>
Fiona Flintan  

Senior Scientist-Rangelands and Pastoralism, ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) (hosted at IFAD Rome)

Italy and WhatsApp/Telegram: +39-3496462017   Ethiopia: +251-921777402; 

Skype: fiona.flintan  

Twitter: @rangelands_glbl

Instagram: @rangelands_glbl

 

From: Jurgen Hoth <jurgenhoth1521 at gmail.com <mailto:jurgenhoth1521 at gmail.com>>

Subject: Re: President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

Date: 8 November 2021 at 22:45:19 PM CET

To: "Flintan, Fiona (ILRI)" <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>, "iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>" <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>

Thank you Fiona.

That is not good news. We need to help make sexy planting grass.

Here is an initial effort we did with the main Mexican Airline, AeroMéxico:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCHaHO5n920&fbclid=IwAR3Ry7LVQyignv63pfVob9eudNq3R0k2E7_CyLXgjkZLvfVlLnPVavV6hcY <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCHaHO5n920&fbclid=IwAR3Ry7LVQyignv63pfVob9eudNq3R0k2E7_CyLXgjkZLvfVlLnPVavV6hcY> <> <>
Best,

Jürgen

From: "Olson, Kirk" <kolson at wcs.org <mailto:kolson at wcs.org>>

Subject: Re: President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

Date: 9 November 2021 at 4:50:17 AM CET

To: "Flintan, Fiona (ILRI)" <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>, "iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>" <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>

Hopefully it won't take place at all.  Someone should provide better advice to politicians around tree planting in arid rangelands and the negative effects this has.

KO

From: Ariell Ahearn Ligham <ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk <mailto:ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk>>
Sent: Tuesday, November 9, 2021 10:51:25 PM
To: Flintan, Fiona (ILRI) <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>; iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu> <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>
Subject: Re: [IYRPsupportgroup] President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

It reminds me of Stalin's great plan for the 'transformation of nature' - also an enormous afforestation campaign to keep the steppe at bay. It was fraught with racist ideas about steppe landscapes, 'drying winds' from Asia and was obsessed with expanding agricultural cultivation into the grasslands. 

A great article on this topic: Brain, Stephen. "The great Stalin plan for the transformation of nature." Environmental History 15.4 (2010): 670-700.

I personally think planting a billion trees in Mongolia is a huge waste of time and money.  Better to shut down the coal mines if you really want to make a positive impact for the environment and society. 

From: Enkh-Amgalan Tseelei <enkhamgalan at greengold.mn <mailto:enkhamgalan at greengold.mn>>
Sent: Tuesday, November 9, 2021 9:19 AM
To: Ariell Ahearn Ligham <ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk <mailto:ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk>>; Flintan, Fiona (ILRI) <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>; iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu> <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>
Subject: Re: [IYRPsupportgroup] President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

Hi,

This is even worse…

UNCCD expresses readiness to support President’s initiative (montsame.mn) <https://montsame.mn/en/read/279993?fbclid=IwAR2VwOfwffIrD1KPzfpGVTzPy48OVKJMMqwfWQVMbZJpqjIbRcMneCYKwRY>
From: Tungaa SG <tungaa.sg at gmail.com <mailto:tungaa.sg at gmail.com>>
Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 4:29 AM
To: Ariell Ahearn Ligham <ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk <mailto:ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk>>, "Flintan, Fiona (ILRI)" <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>, "iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>" <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>
Subject: Re: [IYRPsupportgroup] President of Mongolia commits to planting a billion trees by 2030

Dear Ariell,

Indeed this movement of planting Billion trees is going in a controversial manner. The danger is growing trees in the natural forest have been taken away damaging the roots/soil and transplanted to urban areas or peri-urban steppe areas where there was no forest before. 

Large areas of steppes and grasslands have been dug out to plant trees. People are protesting against such an approach.

Tungaa

From: Carolyn Baldwin <carolbaldwin at ksu.edu <mailto:carolbaldwin at ksu.edu>>

Subject: [IYRPsupportgroup] Result of planting trees in grasslands

Date: 9 November 2021 at 16:36:05 PM CET

To: Enkh-Amgalan Tseelei <enkhamgalan at greengold.mn <mailto:enkhamgalan at greengold.mn>>, Ariell Ahearn Ligham <ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk <mailto:ariell.ahearn at ouce.ox.ac.uk>>, "Flintan, Fiona (ILRI)" <F.Flintan at cgiar.org <mailto:F.Flintan at cgiar.org>>, "iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>" <iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu <mailto:iyrpsupportgroup at list.cals.arizona.edu>>

In the North American Great Plains, we have experience of 100 years or more of planting trees in native rangelands and a lack of tree-removing prescribed burning due to a forestry bias.  The result isn't good for rangelands, as detailed in this new publication.

Reducing woody encroachment in grasslands: A guide for understanding risk and vulnerability

Twidwell et al. https://t.e2ma.net/click/xwr0qg/xsk02po/13nhso <https://t.e2ma.net/click/xwr0qg/xsk02po/13nhso>
Carol

Carol Baldwin, Ph.D.

Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Community Vitality

‪Umberger 103, 1612 Claflin Road <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1612+Claflin+Road?entry=gmail&source=g>
Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 66506

‪785.532.0416

‪carolbaldwin at ksu.edu <mailto:carolbaldwin at ksu.edu> 

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