Compare afforestation and reforestation and their ecological benefits.

• A. Afforestation is planting trees on non-forest land; reforestation restores forest after disturbance; both increase carbon sequestration, biodiversity, soil stabilization, and water regulation.
• B. They are the same practice with identical outcomes.
• C. Afforestation reduces biodiversity; reforestation has no climate benefits.
• D. Reforestation creates non-forest land; afforestation restores logged forests.

Answer: (A)

Afforestation is planting trees on land that has not been forested before, while reforestation is reestablishing a forest on land that was forested in the past but has been cleared or degraded. This distinction matters because it clarifies where each practice is applied and how it shapes ecosystem structure and function. Both activities boost carbon sequestration, storing more carbon in living biomass and soils. They also create or restore habitat, supporting biodiversity, and their tree roots and canopy help stabilize soils and reduce erosion. Additionally, forests influence water regulation by enhancing interception, improving infiltration, and moderating runoff, which can benefit hydrological stability and water quality.

The other statements mix up definitions or outcomes: they treat the practices as the same, or claim reforestation lowers biodiversity or has no climate benefits, or misstate where each type creates forest. The option that correctly defines each practice and lists the shared ecological benefits is the best choice.