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Updated: Nov 19, 2025

A Method for Quantifying Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods
Published on: October 20, 2019
The suggestion that landscapes should contain 40% of forest cover lacks evidence and is problematic
Cristina Banks-Leite1, Cecilia Larrosa2, Luis R Carrasco3
1Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK.
Abstract:
A recent review suggests that forest cover needs to be restored or maintained on at least 40% of land area. In the absence of empirical evidence to support this threshold, we discuss how this suggestion is unhelpful and potentially dangerous. We advocate for regionally defined thresholds to inform conservation and restoration.
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