Countries are redeveloping abandoned croplands at a rate that is jeopardising the land’s contributions to reducing CO2, a report published in the journal Science Advances said.
The new study, drawn from analysis of satellite imagery dating back to the 1980s, should help policymakers better evaluate how their land-use practices help or inhibit efforts to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations and restore ecosystems.
The researchers found that across 11 diverse sites around the world, 8.8 million hectares of cropland were abandoned for five years or more between 1987 and 2017.
When these areas are left alone, forests can regrow and ecosystems can reconstitute themselves. But they need to be left alone and by the end of that period, an average of 38 per cent of the land re-entered cultivation at each of the 11 sites.
The authors concluded that more than half of abandoned cropland is put back into use within 30 years. The average amount of time lands were abandoned was 14.2 years.
That’s a problem because lands need decades or centuries of idleness to reach their potential for absorbing atmospheric CO2 and allowing endangered animals and plants to repopulate previously developed areas.
“To produce substantial environmental benefits, abandoned lands must stay abandoned long enough” to grow, the authors wrote.
“This is a very important paper,” said Leighton Reid, assistant professor of ecological restoration at Virginia Tech who was familiar with the study but not involved in it.
“Political leaders should take note here because many of them are narrowly focused on how many trees they can plant in the next few years.
“That number matters way less than the length of the time that those trees will persist as a forest.”
The sites under study stored an estimated 403 million tonnes of CO2 — or 35 per cent less than they might have taken up without re-cultivation.
Farmers leave cropland behind for many reasons, such as to pursue better economic opportunities in cities or because subsidies disappear, as they did when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. In other cases, new farming technology makes some areas less productive than they used to be.
The study identifies several sources of competition among potential uses for land.
The need to leave land alone, to restore biodiversity and absorb carbon into new forest may be more at odds with growing crops for energy production than is conventionally realised.
Crops cultivated for bioenergy tend to be poor for biodiversity. Bioenergy advocates see abandoned lands as ideal for crop growth but, the paper points out, lands apparently doing “nothing” are doing something quite important by rebuilding ecosystems.
The work follows a study in the same journal earlier this month that found that a large US investment in growing crops for use in energy production would run up against water stress that could affect a quarter of the country by 2100.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
SPECS
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
