BONN, Germany (Landscape News) — We should broaden our perspective on forests and water by recognizing how forests contribute to rainfall regulation and temperature cooling, said scientist Bruno Locatelli at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in Bonn, Germany.
Using rubber boots and a rain jacket as props to emphasize two different perspectives on the relationship between water and forests, Locatelli said that climate policy should value forests not only for their capacity to store carbon, but because they regulate climate at the local and regional level.
A scientist with France’s International Center for Agricultural Research (CIRAD) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Locatelli was a joint author on a research paper titled Trees, Forests and Water: Cool Insights for a Hot World, which describes the concept of “rainfall recycling” he detailed at the GLF.