Data from: How do trees outside forests contribute to human wellbeing? A systematic review from South Asia

Abstract

Trees outside forests (ToF) can provide several ecosystem services or benefits such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and soil enrichment. These benefits, largely focused on agri-silvipastoral systems, have been well studied and documented. Human wellbeing outcomes of ToF, on the other hand, are relatively less understood. South Asia, in particular, is an important region to study given the cultural norm of trees outside forests. This region is home to millions of small-scale farmers, with often less than 4 hectares each, where trees are an important source of fodder, nutrition, and livelihoods. Moreover, countries in South Asia such as India have large land restoration targets such as restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, and recent studies have indicated that ToF may be an important aspect of meeting this pledge.

Multiple papers based on this data from a systematic review will help understand the reported benefits and drawbacks for human wellbeing of ToF and the circumstances under which these outcomes are perceived by people. Our data will help understand the institutional, geographic, managerial and population characteristics that mediate the human wellbeing outcomes directly measured by a study or perceived by the population considered in a particular study.

In the context of this review, we broadly use the term human wellbeing, to include the following components: material and living standards, health, education, work and leisure, agency and political voice, social relationships, physical and economic security.