Monoculture’s Downsides

A glimpse into the monoculture effects on the landscape.

A monoculture of eucalyptus trees. Portugal planted these fast-growing trees originally from Australia, which became one of the largest exports of toilet paper in Europe. But these highly flammable trees turned out to be 'killer forests' — they also consume significantly more water than the native cork oak, as well as leading to a reduction of wildlife and biodiversity. Reforestation is a solution to create more rainfall in the battle against climate change — but it needs to be come from the native trees, restoring the natural biodiversity of a landscape to its former glory.