Tree establishment in open landscapes: enabling factors and implications for carbon and livelihoods

Woodland creation is advocated as a nature-based solution to address climate goals and enhance livelihoods in several parts of the world. Restoration and rewilding programmes encourage planting trees to lock up carbon in soils and protect biodiversity. However, previous research has shown that tree establishment is not always a viable solution to address climate change and depends on where it occurs.
This thesis addresses the social and ecological challenges associated with tree establishment in open habitats such as grasslands. I explain the impacts of increasing trees on soil carbon and livelihoods under two scenarios – woody plant encroachment in the savannas of Eastern Cape, South Africa, and rewilding woodland creation in the Peak District, UK. In the UK, rewilding favours natural tree regeneration to achieve the Net Zero Goals by 2050. Through field studies, I show that increasing tree densities do not affect soil carbon stocks in naturally regenerated woodlands in the uplands of the Peak District. In addition, using interview data, I apply social theory-based frameworks to explain power in rewilding partnerships for woodland creation in the Peak District.
By using the example of woody plant encroachment in the savanna grasslands of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, I show that understanding land degradation requires an analytical approach that is simultaneously bio-social, historically informed and multiscalar. It requires a focus on climate change adaptations that simultaneously promote sustainable livelihoods.
I illustrate how relatively less powerful groups create or claim spaces for participation to engage with powerful actors. With regard to rewilding practice, in the Peak District context, rewilding is largely associated with woodland creation and restoration, allowing nature to take care of itself although funding and public opinion/resistance are the major barriers to implementation.
In this thesis, I aim to present the social dimensions of tree establishment, the opportunities and challenges associated with woodland creation and contribute to finding solutions for the bigger problem statement – planting the right trees, right place, right context.