Afforestation of Degraded Lands: A Global Review of Practices, Species, and Ecological Outcomes
C. M. Enescu, M. Mihalache, Leonard Ilie, Lucian Dincă, Adrian Timofte, Gabriel Murariu
Abstract
Land degradation is a critical global issue threatening environmental health, food security, and sustainable development. Afforestation has emerged as a vital nature-based solution to combat land degradation by restoring soil structure, enhancing water regulation, sequestering carbon, and supporting biodiversity. Despite extensive research on degraded lands and forestry, there remains a notable gap specifically addressing afforestation of degraded lands, which this study aims to fill through a comprehensive bibliometric and qualitative review of global trends, species use, ecological impacts, and restoration techniques. This study was conducted in two main phases: a bibliometric analysis followed by a traditional literature review. A total of 631 publications published between 1993 and 2024 on the afforestation of degraded lands were analyzed, with the majority consisting of research articles (87%), followed by review papers (5%), book chapters (4%), and conference proceedings (4%). In conclusion, afforestation of degraded lands is a well-established and actively studied field, supported by a substantial body of empirical research and expanding interdisciplinary engagement. The literature encompasses a wide variety of publication types, enabling both the production and dissemination of knowledge across ecological, technical, and socio-economic areas.