Planting Pledges: The Race to Reforest the Earth

Along time ago, eight thousand years ago to be more precise, the Maltese islands were blanketed in a lush forest made up mainly of Holm Oak and Aleppo Pine. It was around this period that the <a href="https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180316/life-features/700-years-added-to-maltas-history.673498" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">first settlers</a> arrived on the islands. In their pursuit of wood and the need to clear land for agriculture and construction, these early inhabitants began to fell the trees. To compound the situation, the introduction of sheep and goats had adverse effects; their grazing not only inflicted damage on mature trees but, more importantly, impeded their natural regeneration. Human interference resulted in soil erosion and degradation, eventually rendering the island uninhabitable. The next wave of settlers wouldn’t arrive until over a thousand years later, around 3,800 B.C. These settlers demonstrated more efficient resource management and went on to construct monuments that endure to this day. They successfully harnessed soil and food resources for over 1,500 years. It was only when climate conditions worsened, and drought became more severe, that this civilization also declined and eventually disappeared. <a href="https://medium.com/the-new-climate/planting-pledges-the-race-to-reforest-the-earth-7e8066d15ad8">Website</a>