Tree plantations and pollinator decline: Addressing hidden biodiversity trade-offs

The global expansion of tree plantations is widely supported as a silver bullet for climate mitigation and ecosystem restoration, soil and water protection, alongside its economic benefits. Yet, this expanding forestry footprint is inadvertently undermining biodiversity strategies aimed at reversing pollinator decline. While the spatial expansion of fast-growing tree plantations is well documented, we lack a unified understanding of how these simplified landscapes alter pollinator vital rates, deplete essential foraging and nesting resources, and destabilize plant-pollinator networks. This is particularly concerning when afforestation destroys naturally open, treeless ecosystems. Here, we reveal the key plantation-derived mechanisms driving pollinator disruption and provide a set of actionable, pollinator-friendly management recommendations to ensure future tree plantations compatible with pollinator conservation.