Deforestation affects climate change because it releases the carbon stored in the plants and soils and alters the physical properties of the surface. Tropical ecosystems are the most productive, and changes to them are likely to have the greatest impact on climate change. Models predict that their loss will have a global warming effect and experiments suggest that afforestation projects in the tropics could help mitigate global warming since they are the most effective carbon sinks in the short term. Worldwide, women have played an important role in preserving tropical forests. For example, in Zimbabwe, women’s groups (over half of the 800,000 families living in communal areas are headed by women) manage forest resource and development projects through woodlot ownership, tree planting and nursery development
