Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions

Natural climate solutions are being advanced to arrest climate warming by protecting and enhancing carbon capture and storage in plants, soils and sediments in ecosystems. These solutions are viewed as having the ancillary benefit of protecting habitats and landscapes to conserve animal species dive...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature climate change 2023-04, Vol.13 (4), p.324-333
Main Authors: Schmitz, Oswald J., Sylvén, Magnus, Atwood, Trisha B., Bakker, Elisabeth S., Berzaghi, Fabio, Brodie, Jedediah F., Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M., Davies, Andrew B., Leroux, Shawn J., Schepers, Frans J., Smith, Felisa A., Stark, Sari, Svenning, Jens-Christian, Tilker, Andrew, Ylänne, Henni
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/2445
631/158/670
631/158/672
704/47
Animal species
Animals
BBNJ Agreement
Carbon
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon cycle
Carbon sequestration
Climate
Climate Change
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Climate Research
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ekologi
Environment
Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice
Environmental restoration
Global warming
Klimatforskning
Landscape preservation
Perspective
Restoration
Sediments
Species diversity
Storage
Wild animals
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Natural climate solutions are being advanced to arrest climate warming by protecting and enhancing carbon capture and storage in plants, soils and sediments in ecosystems. These solutions are viewed as having the ancillary benefit of protecting habitats and landscapes to conserve animal species diversity. However, this reasoning undervalues the role animals play in controlling the carbon cycle. We present scientific evidence showing that protecting and restoring wild animals and their functional roles can enhance natural carbon capture and storage. We call for new thinking that includes the restoration and conservation of wild animals and their ecosystem roles as a key component of natural climate solutions that can enhance the ability to prevent climate warming beyond 1.5 °C. In this Perspective, the authors argue that the restoration of wild animals and their functional roles can enhance natural carbon capture and storage. They call for the scope of natural climate solutions to be broadened to include animals.
ISSN:1758-678X
1758-6798
1758-6798
DOI:10.1038/s41558-023-01631-6