Is woody plant encroachment bad? Benefits of woody plant encroachment—A review

Abstract Context Woody plant encroachment has remarkably altered the structure and functioning of savanna and grassland ecosystems and has become a major ecological concern globally. The majority of the studies/reviews on woody plant encroachment have overwhelmingly concentrated on the negative impacts of the phenomenon and have ignored its benefits to humans. Objectives The current paper addresses the question whether woody plant encroachment is bad and goes further to discuss its benefits. Methods This review is based primarily on published papers that were procured from the Google Scholar database, utilizing keywords that relate to woody plant encroachment and its impacts. Results Woody plant encroachment usually reduces grass cover and results in substantial accumulation of carbon and nutrients in the soil and vegetation as grasslands/savannas become more densely wooded. It appears to have a more drastic impact on commercial farmers in North and South America than small-scale farmers and pastoralists in Africa, South America and Asia, who derive benefits such as increased supplies of fuelwood, medicine, food and browse for livestock from the phenomenon. Conclusion Woody plant encroachment should not be regarded as patently unwholesome because of its overarching benefit of carbon sequestration in soil and woody plants in grasslands/savannas that help to mitigate climate change and global warming. Shade-loving grasses that provide fodder for livestock could be planted in rangeland to ameliorate the effect of reduced herbage production.