Primary Forests Are Undervalued in the Climate Emergency

DellaSala, Dominick A.; Kormos, Cyril F.; Keith, Heather; Mackey, Brendan; Young, Virginia; Rogers, Brendan M.; Mittermeier, Russell A.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biaa030

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The Forest Restoration pathway distribution prioritises buffering and reconnection of primary forests and other carbon dense primary ecosystems, which increases resilience, stability and adaptive capacity [59,60]. Some of the highest sequestration values (80-100 t C ha −1 ) overlap with biodiversity and carbon 'hotspots' in the Amazon Basin and Southeast Asia [61]; carbon densities of 70-90 t C ha −1 are also notable across China and northern Europe where a significant area of this pathway is represented (figure 1).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Land Management Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic modelling shows substantial contribution of ecosystem restoration to climate change mitigation

Littleton

Dooley

Webb

et al. 2021

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Limiting global warming to a 1.5°C temperature rise requires drastic emissions reductions and removal of carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere. Most modelled pathways for 1.5°C assume substantial removals in the form of biomass energy with carbon capture and storage, which brings with it increasing risks to biodiversity and food security via extensive land-use change. Recently, multiple efforts to describe and quantify potential removals via ecosystem-based approaches have gained traction in the climate policy discourse. However, these options have yet to be evaluated in a systematic and scientifically robust way. We provide spatially explicit estimates of ecosystem restoration potential quantified with a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model. Simulations covering forest restoration, reforestation, reduced harvest, agroforestry and silvopasture were combined and found to sequester an additional 93 Gt C by 2100, reducing mean global temperature increase by ~0.12°C (5-95% range 0.06-0.21°C) relative to a baseline mitigation pathway. Ultimately, pathways to achieving the 1.5°C goal garner broader public support when they include land management options that can bring about multiple benefits, including ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, and resilient agricultural practices.

show abstract

Section: Characteristics Of Land Management Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic modelling shows substantial contribution of ecosystem restoration to climate change mitigation

Littleton

Dooley

Webb

et al. 2021

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Primary and old-growth forests generally have received increased attention internationally as natural climate solutions (DellaSala et al, 2020;IUCN, 2020;Law et al, 2021Law et al, ), 10.3389/ffgc.2022 including from policy makers 1 (e.g., March 22, 2022) and conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the United States 2 ; 3 (accessed May 15, 2022). Article 5.1 of the Paris Climate Agreement calls on governments to protect and enhance "carbon sinks and reservoirs, " while Article 21 of the UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact emphasizes "the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring nature and ecosystems, including forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mature and old-growth forests contribute to large-scale conservation targets in the conterminous United States

DellaSala¹,

Mackey²,

Norman³

et al. 2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mature and old-growth forests (MOG) of the conterminous United States collectively support exceptional levels of biodiversity but have declined substantially from logging and development. National-scale proposals to protect 30 and 50% of all lands and waters are useful in assessing MOG conservation targets given the precarious status of these forests. We present the first coast to coast spatially explicit MOG assessment based on three structural development measures—canopy height, canopy cover, and above-ground living biomass to assess relative maturity. MOG were displayed by major forest types (n = 22), landownerships (federal, state, private, and tribal), and Gap Analysis Project (GAP) management status overlaid on the NatureServe’s Red-listed Ecosystems and species, above-ground living biomass, and drinking water source areas. MOG total ∼67.2 M ha (35.9%) of all forest structural classes and were scattered across 8 regions with most in western regions. All federal lands combined represented the greatest (35%) concentrations of MOG, ∼92% of which is on national forest lands with ∼9% on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and ∼3% on national park lands (totals do not sum to 100% due to minor mapping errors in the datasets). MOG on national forest lands supported the highest concentration of conservation values. However, national forests and BLM lands did not meet lower bound (30%) targets with only ∼24% of MOG in GAP1,2 (5.9 M ha) protection status. The vast majority (76%, 20.8 M ha) of MOG on federal lands that store 10.64 Gt CO2 (e) are vulnerable to logging (GAP3). If federal MOG are logged over a decade, and half their carbon stock emitted, there would be an estimated 0.5 ppm increase in atmospheric CO2 by 2030, which is equivalent to ∼9% of United States total annual emissions. We recommend upper bound (100%) protection of federal MOG, including elevating the conservation status of Inventoried Roadless Areas. This would avoid substantial CO2 emissions while allowing ongoing carbon sequestration to act as natural climate solutions to aid compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement and presidential executive orders on MOG and 30% of all lands and waters in protection by 2030. On non-federal lands, which have fewer MOG, regulatory improvements and conservation incentives are needed.

show abstract

“…Article 5 of the Paris Climate Agreement encourages nations to conserve and enhance C sinks and reservoirs (stocks) of greenhouse gases, including forests (UNFCCC, 2016). As interests in nature‐based climate solutions gain traction (Griscom et al, 2017; Mackey et al, 2015), it is imperative that countries identify where and how best to manage their forest C reservoirs, particularly old‐growth forests (a subset of primary forests) where C is highly concentrated (DellaSala et al, 2020; Mackey et al, 2015; Moomaw et al, 2019), and for C inventory assessments and land‐use decision making.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating carbon stocks and stock changes in Interior Wetbelt forests of British Columbia, Canada

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Interior Wetbelt (IWB) of British Columbia includes the globally rare Inland Temperate Rainforest (ITR) that if managed for its substantial carbon (C) stocks can contribute to Canada's Nationally Determined Commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement. We provide spatially explicit estimates of above-and belowground live and dead biomass and soil C stocks derived from three sources:(1) government online Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI); (2) the GlobBiomass spatial dataset; and (3) field plots (n = 27) within old-growth forests of the ITR. For live aboveground C, we summarize C stocks by elevation classes and decadal forest age. The upper bound on total C densities (above-and belowground live and dead biomass and soil C) based on VRI was a maximum of 806 megagrams (Mg) C ha À1 . The mean total biomass C density measured in field plots was 583 Mg C ha À1 with a maximum of 1275 Mg C ha À1 , which is on par with some of the world's most C-dense temperate forests. About half the C is in live biomass pools with the rest in dead biomass and soil organic C pools. The mean C density from the VRI over all elevations was 182 Mg C ha À1 , with soil organic C ~40% and live tree stems ~27%. Vegetation Resources Inventory estimates were 75% lower than field-based measurements with the greatest mismatch in areas with the highest C density. Approximately 22% of the IWB has been logged, the majority since 1970s, resulting in live above ground C declining by at least 18%, although this is likely an underestimate. Logging was heavily concentrated in low (<1000 m; 28.3% of elevation zone) to mid-elevations (1000-2000 m; 20.9%) compared with upper elevations (>2000 m; 1.2%). The region contains underappreciated C stocks that can help Canada meet its climate and conservation targets, but only if there are major forestry reforms that protect C-dense old-growth forests, allow degraded forests time to recover the logging-related C debt, and improve monitoring of C stocks and stock changes.

show abstract

Primary Forests Are Undervalued in the Climate Emergency

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

Dynamic modelling shows substantial contribution of ecosystem restoration to climate change mitigation

Dynamic modelling shows substantial contribution of ecosystem restoration to climate change mitigation

Mature and old-growth forests contribute to large-scale conservation targets in the conterminous United States

Estimating carbon stocks and stock changes in Interior Wetbelt forests of British Columbia, Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About