International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations: September 21
Branding a plantation a ‘forest’ is like calling a big swimming pool a ‘lake’
On September 21 every year, environmental and social groups from all over the world mark the International Day against Monoculture Tree Plantations. While multilateral organisations persist in telling the world that plantations help the environment and the economy, the reality is that timber plantations almost always have a negative impact on communities, local economies and biodiversity. These plantations are not a solution to climate change nor to biodiversity loss.
Monoculture tree plantations have a serious impact on the communities and eco-systems around them. Many people who depend on forests for their livelihoods have been evicted or relocated to make way for plantations. The impact on biodiversity can be severe as plantations are not similar to forests in the diversity of life that they can host. Hydrological cycles are disrupted and ecosystems hurt by the widened use of pesticides.
That’s why on September 21st — the International Day Against Monoculture Tree Plantations– Friends of the Earth groups plan various activities around the world, including calling attention to and challenging the expansion of palm oil tree plantations destined for agrofuel production, challenging eucalyptus and other monoculture tree plantations grown for export, and exposing over-consumption and consumerism.
Image: Edge of Plantation by Hanna Nikkanen / Used under CC License
