Reduction of deforestation by agroforestry in high carbon stock forests of Southeast Asia

Agroforestry is widely practiced for its socio-economic and ecological benefits, but its effectiveness in reducing deforestation at the landscape scale remains uncertain. This study applied causal inference methods to analyze agroforestry’s impact across 38 subnational regions in Southeast Asia, including areas with high carbon stock forests and deforestation hotspots. The findings indicate local variability but an overall net reduction in deforestation of 250,319 hectares per year, translating to 58.8 ± 15.5 megatonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually (P < 0.05). These results highlight agroforestry’s role as a natural climate solution, particularly in the biodiverse forests of Southeast Asia, which store significant amounts of carbon. This study underscores the nuanced relationship between agroforestry and deforestation reduction, offering valuable insights for conservation and climate mitigation strategies.

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This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01532-w

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