New commentary debates land-use trade-offs: farmland-to-forest or forest-to-farmland in China
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Credit: Hai Ren, Lei Gao, Dafeng Hui, and Qinfeng Guo
Date: April 21, 2026
Guangzhou, China: A recent commentary published in Biological Diversity examines China’s critical land-use dilemma: balancing large-scale farmland-to-forest restoration for ecology and climate, versus forest-to-farmland reversion to safeguard national food security. Authored by an international team led by Prof. Hai Ren from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the paper reviews policy shifts, ecological outcomes, and socio-economic challenges over the past two decades.
China launched the iconic Grain for Green Program in 1999 to curb severe soil erosion and ecological degradation. As the world’s largest ecological initiative, it converted 34.8 million hectares of marginal farmland to forests and grasslands by 2020, significantly boosting green cover, restoring habitats, and supporting biodiversity conservation.
However, widespread farmland abandonment, declining arable land area, and growing global food security concerns have driven a policy adjustment in recent years. Some regions have begun converting forests back to farmlands, sparking scientific and public debate over environmental impacts.
The authors highlight that China’s “Three Zones and Three Lines” spatial planning system aims to balance urban, agricultural, and ecological land uses. Yet challenges remain, including regional disparities, subsidy limitations, farmer economic incentives, and one-size-fits-all implementation.
Large-scale forest-to-farmland projects may risk biodiversity loss and weakened ecosystem services. The commentary suggests prioritizing marginal farmland restoration, reviving abandoned farmland with near-natural vegetation, and building ecological corridors to enhance connectivity. Aligning with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, abandoned lands could serve as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
The study concludes that flexible, integrated strategies are essential. Remote mountainous farmland may suit forest restoration, while large abandoned plots in plains should be restored to standard farmland. Open stakeholder communication and long-term sustainability assessments will help reconcile ecological health and food security for balanced national development.
Original Source
Ren, Hai, Lei Gao, Dafeng Hui, and Qinfeng Guo. 2024. “Converting Farmlands to Forests or Forests to Farmlands?.” Biological Diversity 1(2): 54–57.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.12015
About the Author
Hai Ren (First Author and Corresponding Author): Researcher, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on biodiversity conservation and restoration, with a core focus on the protection and adaptive management of rare and endangered plant species, and the coordination of nature conservation and social development.
About the Journal
Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994-4139) is a new open-access, high-impact, English-language journal devoted to advancing biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable use of resources under global change. It features innovative research addressing the global biodiversity crisis.