1
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Csillik O, Keller M, Longo M, Ferraz A, Rangel Pinagé E, Görgens EB, Ometto JP, Silgueiro V, Brown D, Duffy P, Cushman KC, Saatchi S. A large net carbon loss attributed to anthropogenic and natural disturbances in the Amazon Arc of Deforestation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2310157121. [PMID: 39102539 PMCID: PMC11331119 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310157121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The Amazon forest contains globally important carbon stocks, but in recent years, atmospheric measurements suggest that it has been releasing more carbon than it has absorbed because of deforestation and forest degradation. Accurately attributing the sources of carbon loss to forest degradation and natural disturbances remains a challenge because of the difficulty of classifying disturbances and simultaneously estimating carbon changes. We used a unique, randomized, repeated, very high-resolution airborne laser scanning survey to provide a direct, detailed, and high-resolution partitioning of aboveground carbon gains and losses in the Brazilian Arc of Deforestation. Our analysis revealed that disturbances directly attributed to human activity impacted 4.2% of the survey area while windthrows and other disturbances affected 2.7% and 14.7%, respectively. Extrapolating the lidar-based statistics to the study area (544,300 km2), we found that 24.1, 24.2, and 14.5 Tg C y-1 were lost through clearing, fires, and logging, respectively. The losses due to large windthrows (21.5 Tg C y-1) and other disturbances (50.3 Tg C y-1) were partially counterbalanced by forest growth (44.1 Tg C y-1). Our high-resolution estimates demonstrated a greater loss of carbon through forest degradation than through deforestation and a net loss of carbon of 90.5 ± 16.6 Tg C y-1 for the study region attributable to both anthropogenic and natural processes. This study highlights the role of forest degradation in the carbon balance for this critical region in the Earth system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ovidiu Csillik
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109
| | - Michael Keller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry, United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Río Piedras00926, Puerto Rico
| | - Marcos Longo
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA94720
| | - Antonio Ferraz
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109
| | | | - Eric Bastos Görgens
- Department of Forest Engineering, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG39100-000, Brazil
| | - Jean P. Ometto
- Earth System Sciences Center, National Institute for Space Research-National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP12227-010, Brazil
| | | | - David Brown
- Neptune and Company, Inc., Lakewood, CO80215
| | - Paul Duffy
- Neptune and Company, Inc., Lakewood, CO80215
| | - K. C. Cushman
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN37830
| | - Sassan Saatchi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91109
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2
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Bourgoin C, Ceccherini G, Girardello M, Vancutsem C, Avitabile V, Beck PSA, Beuchle R, Blanc L, Duveiller G, Migliavacca M, Vieilledent G, Cescatti A, Achard F. Human degradation of tropical moist forests is greater than previously estimated. Nature 2024; 631:570-576. [PMID: 38961293 PMCID: PMC11254752 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07629-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Tropical forest degradation from selective logging, fire and edge effects is a major driver of carbon and biodiversity loss1-3, with annual rates comparable to those of deforestation4. However, its actual extent and long-term impacts remain uncertain at global tropical scale5. Here we quantify the magnitude and persistence of multiple types of degradation on forest structure by combining satellite remote sensing data on pantropical moist forest cover changes4 with estimates of canopy height and biomass from spaceborne6 light detection and ranging (LiDAR). We estimate that forest height decreases owing to selective logging and fire by 15% and 50%, respectively, with low rates of recovery even after 20 years. Agriculture and road expansion trigger a 20% to 30% reduction in canopy height and biomass at the forest edge, with persistent effects being measurable up to 1.5 km inside the forest. Edge effects encroach on 18% (approximately 206 Mha) of the remaining tropical moist forests, an area more than 200% larger than previously estimated7. Finally, degraded forests with more than 50% canopy loss are significantly more vulnerable to subsequent deforestation. Collectively, our findings call for greater efforts to prevent degradation and protect already degraded forests to meet the conservation pledges made at recent United Nations Climate Change and Biodiversity conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bourgoin
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy.
| | - G Ceccherini
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - M Girardello
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - C Vancutsem
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - V Avitabile
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - P S A Beck
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - R Beuchle
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - L Blanc
- CIRAD, Forêts et Sociétés, Montpellier, France
- Forêts et Sociétés, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - G Duveiller
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - M Migliavacca
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - G Vieilledent
- CIRAD, UMR AMAP, Montpellier, France
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - A Cescatti
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
| | - F Achard
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy
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3
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Xu Y, Li J, Zhang C, Raval S, Guo L, Yang F. Dynamics of carbon sequestration in vegetation affected by large-scale surface coal mining and subsequent restoration. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13479. [PMID: 38867075 PMCID: PMC11169282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64381-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Surface coal development activities include mining and ecological restoration, which significantly impact regional carbon sinks. Quantifying the dynamic impacts on carbon sequestration in vegetation (VCS) during coal development activities has been challenging. Here, we provided a novel approach to assess the dynamics of VCS affected by large-scale surface coal mining and subsequent restoration. This approach effectively overcomes the limitations imposed by the lack of finer scale and long-time series data through scale transformation. We found that mining activities directly decreased VCS by 384.63 Gg CO2, while restoration activities directly increased 192.51 Gg CO2 between 2001 and 2022. As of 2022, the deficit in VCS at the mining areas still had 1966.7 Gg CO2. The study highlights that complete restoration requires compensating not only for the loss in the year of destruction but also for the ongoing accumulation of losses throughout the mining lifecycle. The findings deepen insights into the intricate relationship between coal resource development and ecological environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaling Xu
- College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jun Li
- College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Chengye Zhang
- College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Simit Raval
- School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Li Guo
- College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Fei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
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4
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Heinrich V, House J, Gibbs DA, Harris N, Herold M, Grassi G, Cantinho R, Rosan TM, Zimbres B, Shimbo JZ, Melo J, Hales T, Sitch S, Aragão LEOC. Mind the gap: reconciling tropical forest carbon flux estimates from earth observation and national reporting requires transparency. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 18:22. [PMID: 37982938 PMCID: PMC10662451 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-023-00240-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The application of different approaches calculating the anthropogenic carbon net flux from land, leads to estimates that vary considerably. One reason for these variations is the extent to which approaches consider forest land to be "managed" by humans, and thus contributing to the net anthropogenic flux. Global Earth Observation (EO) datasets characterising spatio-temporal changes in land cover and carbon stocks provide an independent and consistent approach to estimate forest carbon fluxes. These can be compared against results reported in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) to support accurate and timely measuring, reporting and verification (MRV). Using Brazil as a primary case study, with additional analysis in Indonesia and Malaysia, we compare a Global EO-based dataset of forest carbon fluxes to results reported in NGHGIs. RESULTS Between 2001 and 2020, the EO-derived estimates of all forest-related emissions and removals indicate that Brazil was a net sink of carbon (- 0.2 GtCO2yr-1), while Brazil's NGHGI reported a net carbon source (+ 0.8 GtCO2yr-1). After adjusting the EO estimate to use the Brazilian NGHGI definition of managed forest and other assumptions used in the inventory's methodology, the EO net flux became a source of + 0.6 GtCO2yr-1, comparable to the NGHGI. Remaining discrepancies are due largely to differing carbon removal factors and forest types applied in the two datasets. In Indonesia, the EO and NGHGI net flux estimates were similar (+ 0.6 GtCO2 yr-1), but in Malaysia, they differed in both magnitude and sign (NGHGI: -0.2 GtCO2 yr-1; Global EO: + 0.2 GtCO2 yr-1). Spatially explicit datasets on forest types were not publicly available for analysis from either NGHGI, limiting the possibility of detailed adjustments. CONCLUSIONS By adjusting the EO dataset to improve comparability with carbon fluxes estimated for managed forests in the Brazilian NGHGI, initially diverging estimates were largely reconciled and remaining differences can be explained. Despite limited spatial data available for Indonesia and Malaysia, our comparison indicated specific aspects where differing approaches may explain divergence, including uncertainties and inaccuracies. Our study highlights the importance of enhanced transparency, as set out by the Paris Agreement, to enable alignment between different approaches for independent measuring and verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola Heinrich
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
- Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Helmholtz GFZ German Research Centre of Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Jo House
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Martin Herold
- Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Helmholtz GFZ German Research Centre of Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Giacomo Grassi
- Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra, Italy
| | - Roberta Cantinho
- Centre for Sustainable Development (CDS), University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Thais M Rosan
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Barbara Zimbres
- Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Julia Z Shimbo
- Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Joana Melo
- Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra, Italy
| | - Tristram Hales
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Stephen Sitch
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José Dos Campos, Brazil
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5
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Geng M, Li X, Mu H, Yu G, Chai L, Yang Z, Liu H, Huang J, Liu H, Ju Z. Human footprints in the Global South accelerate biomass carbon loss in ecologically sensitive regions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5881-5895. [PMID: 37565368 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Human activities have placed significant pressure on the terrestrial biosphere, leading to ecosystem degradation and carbon losses. However, the full impact of these activities on terrestrial biomass carbon remains unexplored. In this study, we examined changes in global human footprint (HFP) and human-induced aboveground biomass carbon (AGBC) losses from 2000 to 2018. Our findings show an increasing trend in HFP globally, resulting in the conversion of wilderness areas to highly modified regions. These changes have altered global biomes' habitats, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. We also found accelerated AGBC loss driven by HFP expansion, with a total loss of 19.99 ± 0.196 PgC from 2000 to 2018, especially in tropical regions. Additionally, AGBC is more vulnerable in the Global South than in the Global North. Human activities threaten natural habitats, resulting in increasing AGBC loss even in strictly protected areas. Therefore, scientifically guided planning of future human activities is crucial to protect half of Earth through mitigation and adaptation under future risks of climate change and global urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqing Geng
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuecao Li
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
| | - Haowei Mu
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guojiang Yu
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Chai
- International College, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongwen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haimeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxi Huang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing for Agri-Hazards, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
| | - Han Liu
- Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengshan Ju
- Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, China
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6
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Peng L, Searchinger TD, Zionts J, Waite R. The carbon costs of global wood harvests. Nature 2023; 620:110-115. [PMID: 37407827 PMCID: PMC10396961 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06187-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
After agriculture, wood harvest is the human activity that has most reduced the storage of carbon in vegetation and soils1,2. Although felled wood releases carbon to the atmosphere in various steps, the fact that growing trees absorb carbon has led to different carbon-accounting approaches for wood use, producing widely varying estimates of carbon costs. Many approaches give the impression of low, zero or even negative greenhouse gas emissions from wood harvests because, in different ways, they offset carbon losses from new harvests with carbon sequestration from growth of broad forest areas3,4. Attributing this sequestration to new harvests is inappropriate because this other forest growth would occur regardless of new harvests and typically results from agricultural abandonment, recovery from previous harvests and climate change itself. Nevertheless some papers count gross emissions annually, which assigns no value to the capacity of newly harvested forests to regrow and approach the carbon stocks of unharvested forests. Here we present results of a new model that uses time discounting to estimate the present and future carbon costs of global wood harvests under different scenarios. We find that forest harvests between 2010 and 2050 will probably have annualized carbon costs of 3.5-4.2 Gt CO2e yr-1, which approach common estimates of annual emissions from land-use change due to agricultural expansion. Our study suggests an underappreciated option to address climate change by reducing these costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqing Peng
- World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Timothy D Searchinger
- World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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7
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Heinrich VHA, Vancutsem C, Dalagnol R, Rosan TM, Fawcett D, Silva-Junior CHL, Cassol HLG, Achard F, Jucker T, Silva CA, House J, Sitch S, Hales TC, Aragão LEOC. The carbon sink of secondary and degraded humid tropical forests. Nature 2023; 615:436-442. [PMID: 36922608 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05679-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
The globally important carbon sink of intact, old-growth tropical humid forests is declining because of climate change, deforestation and degradation from fire and logging1-3. Recovering tropical secondary and degraded forests now cover about 10% of the tropical forest area4, but how much carbon they accumulate remains uncertain. Here we quantify the aboveground carbon (AGC) sink of recovering forests across three main continuous tropical humid regions: the Amazon, Borneo and Central Africa5,6. On the basis of satellite data products4,7, our analysis encompasses the heterogeneous spatial and temporal patterns of growth in degraded and secondary forests, influenced by key environmental and anthropogenic drivers. In the first 20 years of recovery, regrowth rates in Borneo were up to 45% and 58% higher than in Central Africa and the Amazon, respectively. This is due to variables such as temperature, water deficit and disturbance regimes. We find that regrowing degraded and secondary forests accumulated 107 Tg C year-1 (90-130 Tg C year-1) between 1984 and 2018, counterbalancing 26% (21-34%) of carbon emissions from humid tropical forest loss during the same period. Protecting old-growth forests is therefore a priority. Furthermore, we estimate that conserving recovering degraded and secondary forests can have a feasible future carbon sink potential of 53 Tg C year-1 (44-62 Tg C year-1) across the main tropical regions studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola H A Heinrich
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Christelle Vancutsem
- Fincons Group, Milan, Italy
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Ricardo Dalagnol
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Thais M Rosan
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Dominic Fawcett
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Celso H L Silva-Junior
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA), São Luís, Brazil
| | - Henrique L G Cassol
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Carlos A Silva
- Forest Biometrics and Remote Sensing Lab (Silva Lab), School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jo House
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Stephen Sitch
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Tristram C Hales
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
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8
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Rangel Pinagé E, Keller M, Peck CP, Longo M, Duffy P, Csillik O. Effects of forest degradation classification on the uncertainty of aboveground carbon estimates in the Amazon. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 18:2. [PMID: 36786979 PMCID: PMC9926651 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-023-00221-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tropical forests are critical for the global carbon budget, yet they have been threatened by deforestation and forest degradation by fire, selective logging, and fragmentation. Existing uncertainties on land cover classification and in biomass estimates hinder accurate attribution of carbon emissions to specific forest classes. In this study, we used textural metrics derived from PlanetScope images to implement a probabilistic classification framework to identify intact, logged and burned forests in three Amazonian sites. We also estimated biomass for these forest classes using airborne lidar and compared biomass uncertainties using the lidar-derived estimates only to biomass uncertainties considering the forest degradation classification as well. RESULTS Our classification approach reached overall accuracy of 0.86, with accuracy at individual sites varying from 0.69 to 0.93. Logged forests showed variable biomass changes, while burned forests showed an average carbon loss of 35%. We found that including uncertainty in forest degradation classification significantly increased uncertainty and decreased estimates of mean carbon density in two of the three test sites. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the attribution of biomass changes to forest degradation classes needs to account for the uncertainty in forest degradation classification. By combining very high-resolution images with lidar data, we could attribute carbon stock changes to specific pathways of forest degradation. This approach also allows quantifying uncertainties of carbon emissions associated with forest degradation through logging and fire. Both the attribution and uncertainty quantification provide critical information for national greenhouse gas inventories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Keller
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, Río Piedras, 00926 Puerto Rico
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 USA
| | | | - Marcos Longo
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Paul Duffy
- Neptune and Company, Inc, Lakewood, CO 80215 USA
| | - Ovidiu Csillik
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 USA
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9
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Lapola DM, Pinho P, Barlow J, Aragão LEOC, Berenguer E, Carmenta R, Liddy HM, Seixas H, Silva CVJ, Silva-Junior CHL, Alencar AAC, Anderson LO, Armenteras D, Brovkin V, Calders K, Chambers J, Chini L, Costa MH, Faria BL, Fearnside PM, Ferreira J, Gatti L, Gutierrez-Velez VH, Han Z, Hibbard K, Koven C, Lawrence P, Pongratz J, Portela BTT, Rounsevell M, Ruane AC, Schaldach R, da Silva SS, von Randow C, Walker WS. The drivers and impacts of Amazon forest degradation. Science 2023; 379:eabp8622. [PMID: 36701452 DOI: 10.1126/science.abp8622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Approximately 2.5 × 106 square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year-1), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year-1). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Lapola
- Laboratório de Ciência do Sistema Terrestre - LabTerra, Centro de Pesquisas Meteorológicas e Climáticas Aplicadas à Agricultura - CEPAGRI, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Patricia Pinho
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais da Amazônia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.,Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Erika Berenguer
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.,Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Hannah M Liddy
- Columbia Climate School, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hugo Seixas
- Laboratório de Ciência do Sistema Terrestre - LabTerra, Centro de Pesquisas Meteorológicas e Climáticas Aplicadas à Agricultura - CEPAGRI, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Camila V J Silva
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais da Amazônia, Brasília, DF, Brazil.,Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.,BeZero Carbon Ltd, London, UK
| | - Celso H L Silva-Junior
- Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Maranhão - UFMA, São Luís, MA, Brazil
| | - Ane A C Alencar
- Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais da Amazônia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Liana O Anderson
- Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Kim Calders
- Computational & Applied Vegetation Ecology Laboratory, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Belgium.,School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | | | | | | | - Bruno L Faria
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Norte de Minas Gerais, Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Joice Ferreira
- Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Luciana Gatti
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Kathleen Hibbard
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Charles Koven
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Peter Lawrence
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Julia Pongratz
- Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany.,Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Mark Rounsevell
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.,University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alex C Ruane
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Celso von Randow
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
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10
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Li J, Niu X, Wang P, Yang J, Liu J, Wu D, Guan P. Soil degradation regulates the effects of litter decomposition on soil microbial nutrient limitation: Evidence from soil enzymatic activity and stoichiometry. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1090954. [PMID: 36684742 PMCID: PMC9853160 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1090954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil microorganisms could obtain energy and nutrients during litter decomposition with the help of soil extracellular enzymes. The litter types were among the most critical factors that affect soil extracellular enzyme activities. However, how litter types modulate the soil extracellular enzyme activity with grassland gradation is unclear. Here, we conducted a 240-day experiment of two different types of litter decomposition on soil extracellular enzyme activity and stoichiometry in different degraded grasslands. We found that C-acquiring enzyme activity and the enzyme stoichiometry of C/N were higher in Chloris virgata litter than in Leymus chinensis litter at lightly degraded level and C-acquiring enzyme activity in C. virgata was 16.96% higher than in L. chinensis. P-acquiring enzyme activity had the same trend with litter types in moderately and highly degraded levels and it was 20.71% and 30.89% higher in C. virgata than that in L. chinensis, respectively. The change of the enzyme stoichiometry with litter types was only showed in the enzyme stoichiometry of C/N at lightly degraded level, suggesting that litter types only affected the microbial C limitation in lightly degraded grassland. Almost all soil extracellular enzyme activities and extracellular enzyme stoichiometry, except the enzyme stoichiometry of N/P, decreased with grassland degraded level increasing. All vector angles were less than 45° suggesting that soil microorganisms were limited by N rather than by P during the decomposition process. Enzyme vector analysis revealed that soil microbial communities were co-limited by C and N during litter decomposition. Moreover, based on Random Forest (explaining more than 80%), we found that soil total nitrogen, total carbon, total phosphorus, dissolved organic C, pH and EC were important factors affecting soil enzyme activities by degradation levels. Our results emphasized that degradation levels could modulate the influences of litter types on soil extracellular enzyme activity. Our study enhanced our understanding in resource requirements for microbial communities to litter resources in degraded grassland and helped us to provide new ideas for improving degraded grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianan Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Ximei Niu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Ping Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Jingjing Yang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Jinwen Liu
- Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jilin, China
| | - Donghui Wu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Pingting Guan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
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11
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Mehmood U. Determining the factors of ecological footprints in South Asian countries: exploring the role of renewable energy and forest area. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:56128-56135. [PMID: 35332450 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19822-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This work investigates the associations of ecological footprints (EF), forest area (FOR), renewable energy (RE), non-renewable energy (EU), financial development (FD), and agricultural value add (AGR) in South Asian economies. The annual data of 1990-2018 is used for analysis. This work uses robust second-generation econometric methodologies. After the validation of cross-sectional dependence (CD), the stationarity test shows stationarity at the level and first difference. The co-integration test shows strong co-integration among the panel data, and the results of cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) show that renewable energy, forest area, and FD are environmentally friendly in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India. The use and promotion of renewable energy in the agricultural sector are suggested. Moreover, agricultural policies need to revise in these countries. FD and forest areas are helpful to mitigate environmental degradation. Therefore, the preservation of forest areas is compulsory for South Asian countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usman Mehmood
- Department of Political Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.
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12
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Estimation and Simulation of Forest Carbon Stock in Northeast China Forestry Based on Future Climate Change and LUCC. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14153653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Forest carbon sinks (FCS) play an important role in mitigating global climate change, but there is a lack of more accurate, comprehensive, and efficient forest carbon stock estimates and projections for larger regions. By combining 1980–2020 land use data from the Northeast China Forestry (NCF) and climate change data under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP), the land use and cover change (LUCC) of NCF in 2030 and 2050 and the FCS of NCF were estimated based on the measured data of forest carbon density. In general, the forest area of NCF has not yet recovered to the level of 1980. The temporal change in the FCS experienced a U-shaped trend of sharp decline to slow increase, with the inflection point occurring in 2010. If strict ecological conservation measures are implemented, the FCS of the NCF is expected to recover to the 1980 levels by 2050. We believe that the ecological priority (EP) scenario is the most likely and suitable direction for future development of the NCF. We also advocate for more scientific and stringent management measures for NCF natural forests to unlock the huge potential for forest carbon sequestration, which is important for China to meet its carbon neutrality commitments.
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13
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Shin Y, Midgley GF, Archer ERM, Arneth A, Barnes DKA, Chan L, Hashimoto S, Hoegh‐Guldberg O, Insarov G, Leadley P, Levin LA, Ngo HT, Pandit R, Pires APF, Pörtner H, Rogers AD, Scholes RJ, Settele J, Smith P. Actions to halt biodiversity loss generally benefit the climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2846-2874. [PMID: 35098619 PMCID: PMC9303674 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The two most urgent and interlinked environmental challenges humanity faces are climate change and biodiversity loss. We are entering a pivotal decade for both the international biodiversity and climate change agendas with the sharpening of ambitious strategies and targets by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Within their respective Conventions, the biodiversity and climate interlinked challenges have largely been addressed separately. There is evidence that conservation actions that halt, slow or reverse biodiversity loss can simultaneously slow anthropogenic mediated climate change significantly. This review highlights conservation actions which have the largest potential for mitigation of climate change. We note that conservation actions have mainly synergistic benefits and few antagonistic trade-offs with climate change mitigation. Specifically, we identify direct co-benefits in 14 out of the 21 action targets of the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, notwithstanding the many indirect links that can also support both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. These relationships are context and scale-dependent; therefore, we showcase examples of local biodiversity conservation actions that can be incentivized, guided and prioritized by global objectives and targets. The close interlinkages between biodiversity, climate change mitigation, other nature's contributions to people and good quality of life are seldom as integrated as they should be in management and policy. This review aims to re-emphasize the vital relationships between biodiversity conservation actions and climate change mitigation in a timely manner, in support to major Conferences of Parties that are about to negotiate strategic frameworks and international goals for the decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guy F. Midgley
- School for Climate Studies, Department of Botany and ZoologyStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Emma R. M. Archer
- Department of GeographyGeo‐Informatics and MeteorologyUniversity of PretoriaHatfield, PretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Almut Arneth
- Atmospheric Environmental ResearchKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Garmisch‐PartenkirchenGermany
| | | | - Lena Chan
- International Biodiversity Conservation DivisionNational Parks BoardSingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Ove Hoegh‐Guldberg
- School of Biological Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Gregory Insarov
- Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy for SciencesMoscowRussia
| | - Paul Leadley
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTechOrsayFrance
| | - Lisa A. Levin
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and Integrative Oceanography DivisionScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hien T. Ngo
- Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsRomeItaly
- Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)BonnGermany
| | - Ram Pandit
- Centre for Environmental Economics and PolicyUWA School of Agriculture and EnvironmentThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- Global Center for Food, Land and Water ResourcesResearch Faculty of AgricultureHokkaido UniversitySapporoHokkaidoJapan
| | - Aliny P. F. Pires
- Department of Ecology – IBRAGRio de Janeiro State University (UERJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Hans‐Otto Pörtner
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine ResearchBremerhavenGermany
| | | | - Robert J. Scholes
- Global Change InstituteUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Josef Settele
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social‐Ecological SystemsHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZHalleGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
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14
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Smith P, Arneth A, Barnes DKA, Ichii K, Marquet PA, Popp A, Pörtner HO, Rogers AD, Scholes RJ, Strassburg B, Wu J, Ngo H. How do we best synergize climate mitigation actions to co-benefit biodiversity? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2555-2577. [PMID: 34951743 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A multitude of actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems can have co-benefits for both climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Reducing greenhouse emissions to limit warming to less than 1.5 or 2°C above preindustrial levels, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, can yield strong co-benefits for land, freshwater and marine biodiversity and reduce amplifying climate feedbacks from ecosystem changes. Not all climate mitigation strategies are equally effective at producing biodiversity co-benefits, some in fact are counterproductive. Moreover, social implications are often overlooked within the climate-biodiversity nexus. Protecting biodiverse and carbon-rich natural environments, ecological restoration of potentially biodiverse and carbon-rich habitats, the deliberate creation of novel habitats, taking into consideration a locally adapted and meaningful (i.e. full consequences considered) mix of these measures, can result in the most robust win-win solutions. These can be further enhanced by avoidance of narrow goals, taking long-term views and minimizing further losses of intact ecosystems. In this review paper, we first discuss various climate mitigation actions that evidence demonstrates can negatively impact biodiversity, resulting in unseen and unintended negative consequences. We then examine climate mitigation actions that co-deliver biodiversity and societal benefits. We give examples of these win-win solutions, categorized as 'protect, restore, manage and create', in different regions of the world that could be expanded, upscaled and used for further innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Almut Arneth
- Atmospheric Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
| | | | - Kazuhito Ichii
- Center for Environmental Remote Sensing (CeRES), Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Pablo A Marquet
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexander Popp
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hans-Otto Pörtner
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Alex D Rogers
- Somerville College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- REV Ocean, Lysaker, Norway
| | - Robert J Scholes
- Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bernardo Strassburg
- Rio Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre, Department of Geography and Environment, Pontifical Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- International Institute for Sustainability, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jianguo Wu
- The Institute of Environmental Ecology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hien Ngo
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy
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15
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Osuri AM, Mudappa D, Kasinathan S, Raman TRS. Canopy cover and ecological restoration increase natural regeneration of rainforest trees in the Western Ghats, India. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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Wild meat consumption in tropical forests spares a significant carbon footprint from the livestock production sector. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19001. [PMID: 34620906 PMCID: PMC8497605 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98282-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether sustainable or not, wild meat consumption is a reality for millions of tropical forest dwellers. Yet estimates of spared greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from consuming wild meat, rather than protein from the livestock sector, have not been quantified. We show that a mean per capita wild meat consumption of 41.7 kg yr−1 for a population of ~ 150,000 residents at 49 Amazonian and Afrotropical forest sites can spare ~ 71 MtCO2-eq annually under a bovine beef substitution scenario, but only ~ 3 MtCO2-eq yr−1 if this demand is replaced by poultry. Wild meat offtake by these communities could generate US$3M or US$185K in carbon credit revenues under an optimistic scenario (full compliance with the Paris Agreement by 2030; based on a carbon price of US$50/tCO2-eq) and US$1M or US$77K under a conservative scenario (conservative carbon price of US$20.81/tCO2-eq), representing considerable incentives for forest conservation and potential revenues for local communities. However, the wild animal protein consumption of ~ 43% of all consumers in our sample was below the annual minimum per capita rate required to prevent human malnutrition. We argue that managing wild meat consumption can serve the interests of climate change mitigation efforts in REDD + accords through avoided GHG emissions from the livestock sector, but this requires wildlife management that can be defined as verifiably sustainable.
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17
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Zhu L, Hughes AC, Zhao XQ, Zhou LJ, Ma KP, Shen XL, Li S, Liu MZ, Xu WB, Watson JEM. Regional scalable priorities for national biodiversity and carbon conservation planning in Asia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe4261. [PMID: 34446433 PMCID: PMC8388611 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe4261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
To achieve the goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, we must identify representative targets that effectively protect biodiversity and can be implemented at a national level. We developed a framework to identify synergies between biodiversity and carbon across the Asian region and proposed a stepwise approach based on scalable priorities at regional, biome, and national levels that can complement potential Convention on Biological Diversity targets of protecting 30% land in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Our targets show that 30% of Asian land could effectively protect over 70% of all assessed species relative to only 11% now (based on analysis of 8932 terrestrial vertebrates), in addition to 2.3 to 3.6 hundred billion metric tons of carbon. Funding mechanisms are needed to ensure such targets to support biodiversity-carbon mutually beneficial solutions at the national level while reflecting broader priorities, especially in hyperdiverse countries where priorities exceed 30% of land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Alice C Hughes
- Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Xiao-Qian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Li-Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ke-Ping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Li Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ming-Zhang Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wu-Bing Xu
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - James E M Watson
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA
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18
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Xu L, Saatchi SS, Yang Y, Yu Y, Pongratz J, Bloom AA, Bowman K, Worden J, Liu J, Yin Y, Domke G, McRoberts RE, Woodall C, Nabuurs GJ, de-Miguel S, Keller M, Harris N, Maxwell S, Schimel D. Changes in global terrestrial live biomass over the 21st century. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe9829. [PMID: 34215577 PMCID: PMC11205271 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe9829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Live woody vegetation is the largest reservoir of biomass carbon, with its restoration considered one of the most effective natural climate solutions. However, terrestrial carbon fluxes remain the largest uncertainty in the global carbon cycle. Here, we develop spatially explicit estimates of carbon stock changes of live woody biomass from 2000 to 2019 using measurements from ground, air, and space. We show that live biomass has removed 4.9 to 5.5 PgC year-1 from the atmosphere, offsetting 4.6 ± 0.1 PgC year-1 of gross emissions from disturbances and adding substantially (0.23 to 0.88 PgC year-1) to the global carbon stocks. Gross emissions and removals in the tropics were four times larger than temperate and boreal ecosystems combined. Although live biomass is responsible for more than 80% of gross terrestrial fluxes, soil, dead organic matter, and lateral transport may play important roles in terrestrial carbon sink.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Xu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Sassan S Saatchi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yan Yang
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Yifan Yu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Julia Pongratz
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Luisenstr. 37, 80333 Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Bundesstr. 53, Hamburg, Germany
| | - A Anthony Bloom
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Bowman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - John Worden
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Junjie Liu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Yi Yin
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Grant Domke
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | | | | | - Sergio de-Miguel
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- Joint Research Unit CTFC - AGROTECNIO, Solsona, Lleida, Spain
| | - Michael Keller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Nancy Harris
- World Resources Institute, 10 G Street NE, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sean Maxwell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David Schimel
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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19
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Adame MF, Connolly RM, Turschwell MP, Lovelock CE, Fatoyinbo T, Lagomasino D, Goldberg LA, Holdorf J, Friess DA, Sasmito SD, Sanderman J, Sievers M, Buelow C, Kauffman JB, Bryan‐Brown D, Brown CJ. Future carbon emissions from global mangrove forest loss. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2856-2866. [PMID: 33644947 PMCID: PMC8251893 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Mangroves have among the highest carbon densities of any tropical forest. These 'blue carbon' ecosystems can store large amounts of carbon for long periods, and their protection reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports climate change mitigation. Incorporating mangroves into Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement and their valuation on carbon markets requires predicting how the management of different land-uses can prevent future greenhouse gas emissions and increase CO2 sequestration. We integrated comprehensive global datasets for carbon stocks, mangrove distribution, deforestation rates, and land-use change drivers into a predictive model of mangrove carbon emissions. We project emissions and foregone soil carbon sequestration potential under 'business as usual' rates of mangrove loss. Emissions from mangrove loss could reach 2391 Tg CO2 eq by the end of the century, or 3392 Tg CO2 eq when considering foregone soil carbon sequestration. The highest emissions were predicted in southeast and south Asia (West Coral Triangle, Sunda Shelf, and the Bay of Bengal) due to conversion to aquaculture or agriculture, followed by the Caribbean (Tropical Northwest Atlantic) due to clearing and erosion, and the Andaman coast (West Myanmar) and north Brazil due to erosion. Together, these six regions accounted for 90% of the total potential CO2 eq future emissions. Mangrove loss has been slowing, and global emissions could be more than halved if reduced loss rates remain in the future. Notably, the location of global emission hotspots was consistent with every dataset used to calculate deforestation rates or with alternative assumptions about carbon storage and emissions. Our results indicate the regions in need of policy actions to address emissions arising from mangrove loss and the drivers that could be managed to prevent them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria F. Adame
- Australian Rivers InstituteGriffith UniversityNathanQldAustralia
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
| | - Rod M. Connolly
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
| | | | | | | | - David Lagomasino
- Department of Coastal StudiesEast Carolina UniversityWancheseNCUSA
| | - Liza A. Goldberg
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary CenterUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMDUSA
| | - Jordan Holdorf
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
| | - Daniel A. Friess
- Department of GeographyNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Mangrove Specialist GroupCentre for Nature‐based Climate Solutions, National University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Sigit D. Sasmito
- Research Institute for Environment and LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityCasuarinaNTAustralia
- Center for International Forestry ResearchBogorIndonesia
- NUS Environmental Research InstituteNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Michael Sievers
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
| | - Christina Buelow
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
| | - J. Boone Kauffman
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation SciencesOregon State UniversityCorvallisORUSA
| | - Dale Bryan‐Brown
- Australian Rivers InstituteGriffith UniversityNathanQldAustralia
| | - Christopher J. Brown
- Australian Rivers InstituteGriffith UniversityNathanQldAustralia
- Coastal and Marine Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and ScienceGriffith UniversityGold CoastQldAustralia
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20
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Keith H, Vardon M, Obst C, Young V, Houghton RA, Mackey B. Evaluating nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and conservation requires comprehensive carbon accounting. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:144341. [PMID: 33736241 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NbS) can address climate change, biodiversity loss, human well-being and their interactions in an integrated way. A major barrier to achieving this is the lack of comprehensiveness in current carbon accounting which has focused on flows rather than stocks of carbon and led to perverse outcomes. We propose a new comprehensive approach to carbon accounting based on the whole carbon cycle, covering both stocks and flows, and linking changes due to human activities with responses in the biosphere and atmosphere. We identify enhancements to accounting, namely; inclusion of all carbon reservoirs, changes in their condition and stability, disaggregated flows, and coverage of all land areas. This comprehensive approach recognises that both carbon stocks (as storage) and carbon flows (as sequestration) contribute to the ecosystem service of global climate regulation. In contrast, current ecosystem services measurement and accounting commonly use only carbon sequestration measured as net flows, while greenhouse gas inventories use flows from sources to sinks. This flow-based accounting has incentivised planting and maintaining young forests with high carbon uptake rates, resulting, perversely, in failing to reveal the greater mitigation benefit from protecting larger, more stable and resilient carbon stocks in natural forests. We demonstrate the benefits of carbon storage and sequestration for climate mitigation, in theory as ecosystem services within an ecosystem accounting framework, and in practice using field data that reveals differences in results between accounting for stocks or flows. Our proposed holistic and comprehensive carbon accounting makes transparent the benefits, trade-offs and shortcomings of NbS actions for climate mitigation and sustainability outcomes. Adopting this approach is imperative for revision of ecosystem accounting systems under the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting and contributing to evidence-based decision-making for international conventions on climate (UNFCCC), biodiversity (CBD) and sustainability (SDGs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Keith
- Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Queensland 4222, Australia.
| | - Michael Vardon
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Carl Obst
- Institute for Development of Environmental-Economic Accounting, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Virginia Young
- The Australian Rainforest Conservation Society, Springbrook, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Brendan Mackey
- Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Queensland 4222, Australia
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21
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Di Sacco A, Hardwick KA, Blakesley D, Brancalion PHS, Breman E, Cecilio Rebola L, Chomba S, Dixon K, Elliott S, Ruyonga G, Shaw K, Smith P, Smith RJ, Antonelli A. Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1328-1348. [PMID: 33494123 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Urgent solutions to global climate change are needed. Ambitious tree-planting initiatives, many already underway, aim to sequester enormous quantities of carbon to partly compensate for anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which are a major cause of rising global temperatures. However, tree planting that is poorly planned and executed could actually increase CO2 emissions and have long-term, deleterious impacts on biodiversity, landscapes and livelihoods. Here, we highlight the main environmental risks of large-scale tree planting and propose 10 golden rules, based on some of the most recent ecological research, to implement forest ecosystem restoration that maximizes rates of both carbon sequestration and biodiversity recovery while improving livelihoods. These are as follows: (1) Protect existing forest first; (2) Work together (involving all stakeholders); (3) Aim to maximize biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals; (4) Select appropriate areas for restoration; (5) Use natural regeneration wherever possible; (6) Select species to maximize biodiversity; (7) Use resilient plant material (with appropriate genetic variability and provenance); (8) Plan ahead for infrastructure, capacity and seed supply; (9) Learn by doing (using an adaptive management approach); and (10) Make it pay (ensuring the economic sustainability of the project). We focus on the design of long-term strategies to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and support livelihood needs. We emphasize the role of local communities as sources of indigenous knowledge, and the benefits they could derive from successful reforestation that restores ecosystem functioning and delivers a diverse range of forest products and services. While there is no simple and universal recipe for forest restoration, it is crucial to build upon the currently growing public and private interest in this topic, to ensure interventions provide effective, long-term carbon sinks and maximize benefits for biodiversity and people.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Blakesley
- Wildlife Landscapes, Maidstone, UK
- Autism and Nature, Maidstone, UK
| | - Pedro H S Brancalion
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Loic Cecilio Rebola
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Kingsley Dixon
- Australian Research Council Centre for Mine Site Restoration, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephen Elliott
- Forest Restoration Research Unit and Environmental Science Research Centre, Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | | | - Kirsty Shaw
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond, UK
| | - Paul Smith
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond, UK
| | | | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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22
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Seddon N, Smith A, Smith P, Key I, Chausson A, Girardin C, House J, Srivastava S, Turner B. Getting the message right on nature-based solutions to climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1518-1546. [PMID: 33522071 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NbS)-solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature-have recently gained popularity as an integrated approach that can address climate change and biodiversity loss, while supporting sustainable development. Although well-designed NbS can deliver multiple benefits for people and nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting for carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns that this is distracting from the need to rapidly phase out use of fossil fuels and protect existing intact ecosystems. There are also concerns that the expansion of forestry framed as a climate change mitigation solution is coming at the cost of carbon rich and biodiverse native ecosystems and local resource rights. Here, we discuss the promise and pitfalls of the NbS framing and its current political traction, and we present recommendations on how to get the message right. We urge policymakers, practitioners and researchers to consider the synergies and trade-offs associated with NbS and to follow four guiding principles to enable NbS to provide sustainable benefits to society: (1) NbS are not a substitute for the rapid phase out of fossil fuels; (2) NbS involve a wide range of ecosystems on land and in the sea, not just forests; (3) NbS are implemented with the full engagement and consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in a way that respects their cultural and ecological rights; and (4) NbS should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity. Only by following these guidelines will we design robust and resilient NbS that address the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, sustaining nature and people together, now and into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Seddon
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alison Smith
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Isabel Key
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexandre Chausson
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Cécile Girardin
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jo House
- Cabot Institute for the Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Beth Turner
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Département Des Sciences Biologiques, Université Du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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23
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Hemes KS, Runkle BRK, Novick KA, Baldocchi DD, Field CB. An Ecosystem-Scale Flux Measurement Strategy to Assess Natural Climate Solutions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:3494-3504. [PMID: 33660506 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c06421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Eddy covariance measurement systems provide direct observation of the exchange of greenhouse gases between ecosystems and the atmosphere, but have only occasionally been intentionally applied to quantify the carbon dynamics associated with specific climate mitigation strategies. Natural climate solutions (NCS) harness the photosynthetic power of ecosystems to avoid emissions and remove atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), sequestering it in biological carbon pools. In this perspective, we aim to determine which kinds of NCS strategies are most suitable for ecosystem-scale flux measurements and how these measurements should be deployed for diverse NCS scales and goals. We find that ecosystem-scale flux measurements bring unique value when assessing NCS strategies characterized by inaccessible and hard-to-observe carbon pool changes, important non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes, the potential for biophysical impacts, or dynamic successional changes. We propose three deployment types for ecosystem-scale flux measurements at various NCS scales to constrain wide uncertainties and chart a workable path forward: "pilot", "upscale", and "monitor". Together, the integration of ecosystem-scale flux measurements by the NCS community and the prioritization of NCS measurements by the flux community, have the potential to improve accounting in ways that capture the net impacts, unintended feedbacks, and on-the-ground specifics of a wide range of emerging NCS strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle S Hemes
- Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Benjamin R K Runkle
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Kimberly A Novick
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University - Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
| | - Dennis D Baldocchi
- Environmental Science, Policy & Management Department, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Christopher B Field
- Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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24
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Comparing the Environmental Integrity of Emission Reductions from REDD Programs with Renewable Energy Projects. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11121360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reducing deforestation and forest degradation presents a climate-change mitigation opportunity that is critical to meeting the Paris Agreement goals, and to achieving reductions in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) provides developing countries with results-based financial incentives for reducing deforestation and forest degradation through either non-market payments (payments without generation of carbon credits), or market-based mechanisms (carbon credits). REDD credits have been recently accepted to be used in offsetting programs (e.g., CORSIA) and are being considered under Article 6. However, various publications have questioned whether carbon credits from REDD should be accepted under market-based mechanisms, and have identified issues regarding their environmental integrity and their ability to offset emissions from other sectors. In recent years, REDD implementation has moved from the project level to the national or subnational (jurisdictional) level, and is addressing some of the concerns that have been raised for project-level interventions regarding the robustness of baselines and leakage, for example. In this paper we compare the environmental integrity of credits from REDD programs with that from on-grid renewable energy projects by examining aspects related to permanence, additionality, baselines, uncertainty, and leakage. We show that the environmental integrity of emission reductions sourced from REDD programs has unique strengths, and that those sourced from renewable energy projects have weaknesses of their own. Probably due to a lack of understanding of the respective weaknesses and strengths of these two sources of credits, the emission reductions from REDD programs have been historically questioned and subjected to a level of scrutiny that has not been made with emission reductions from other sectors, such as renewable energy projects. Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of emission reductions from both types should help decision makers and carbon standards recognize the high quality of emission reductions from REDD programs, and rationalize the current requirements or restrictions imposed.
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25
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Pérez-Hämmerle KV, Moon K, Possingham HP, Martinez-Harms MJ, Watson JEM. Eroded protections threaten U.S. forests. Science 2020; 370:921-922. [PMID: 33214270 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf5654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina-Victoria Pérez-Hämmerle
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia. .,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Katie Moon
- Public Service Research Group, School of Business, University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.,Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Hugh P Possingham
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Maria Jose Martinez-Harms
- Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - James E M Watson
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
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26
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Approaches of Satellite Remote Sensing for the Assessment of Above-Ground Biomass across Tropical Forests: Pan-tropical to National Scales. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12203351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests are acknowledged for providing important ecosystem services and are renowned as “the lungs of the planet Earth” due to their role in the exchange of gasses—particularly inhaling CO2 and breathing out O2—within the atmosphere. Overall, the forests provide 50% of the total plant biomass of the Earth, which accounts for 450–650 PgC globally. Understanding and accurate estimates of tropical forest biomass stocks are imperative in ascertaining the contribution of the tropical forests in global carbon dynamics. This article provides a review of remote-sensing-based approaches for the assessment of above-ground biomass (AGB) across the tropical forests (global to national scales), summarizes the current estimate of pan-tropical AGB, and discusses major advancements in remote-sensing-based approaches for AGB mapping. The review is based on the journal papers, books and internet resources during the 1980s to 2020. Over the past 10 years, a myriad of research has been carried out to develop methods of estimating AGB by integrating different remote sensing datasets at varying spatial scales. Relationships of biomass with canopy height and other structural attributes have developed a new paradigm of pan-tropical or global AGB estimation from space-borne satellite remote sensing. Uncertainties in mapping tropical forest cover and/or forest cover change are related to spatial resolution; definition adapted for ‘forest’ classification; the frequency of available images; cloud covers; time steps used to map forest cover change and post-deforestation land cover land use (LCLU)-type mapping. The integration of products derived from recent Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) satellite missions with conventional optical satellite images has strong potential to overcome most of these uncertainties for recent or future biomass estimates. However, it will remain a challenging task to map reference biomass stock in the 1980s and 1990s and consequently to accurately quantify the loss or gain in forest cover over the periods. Aside from these limitations, the estimation of biomass and carbon balance can be enhanced by taking account of post-deforestation forest recovery and LCLU type; land-use history; diversity of forest being recovered; variations in physical attributes of plants (e.g., tree height; diameter; and canopy spread); environmental constraints; abundance and mortalities of trees; and the age of secondary forests. New methods should consider peak carbon sink time while developing carbon sequestration models for intact or old-growth tropical forests as well as the carbon sequestration capacity of recovering forest with varying levels of floristic diversity.
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27
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Williams BA, Venter O, Allan JR, Atkinson SC, Rehbein JA, Ward M, Di Marco M, Grantham HS, Ervin J, Goetz SJ, Hansen AJ, Jantz P, Pillay R, Rodríguez-Buriticá S, Supples C, Virnig AL, Watson JE. Change in Terrestrial Human Footprint Drives Continued Loss of Intact Ecosystems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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28
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Silva Junior CHL, Aragão LEOC, Anderson LO, Fonseca MG, Shimabukuro YE, Vancutsem C, Achard F, Beuchle R, Numata I, Silva CA, Maeda EE, Longo M, Saatchi SS. Persistent collapse of biomass in Amazonian forest edges following deforestation leads to unaccounted carbon losses. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/40/eaaz8360. [PMID: 32998890 PMCID: PMC7527213 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz8360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Deforestation is the primary driver of carbon losses in tropical forests, but it does not operate alone. Forest fragmentation, a resulting feature of the deforestation process, promotes indirect carbon losses induced by edge effect. This process is not implicitly considered by policies for reducing carbon emissions in the tropics. Here, we used a remote sensing approach to estimate carbon losses driven by edge effect in Amazonia over the 2001 to 2015 period. We found that carbon losses associated with edge effect (947 Tg C) corresponded to one-third of losses from deforestation (2592 Tg C). Despite a notable negative trend of 7 Tg C year-1 in carbon losses from deforestation, the carbon losses from edge effect remained unchanged, with an average of 63 ± 8 Tg C year-1 Carbon losses caused by edge effect is thus an additional unquantified flux that can counteract carbon emissions avoided by reducing deforestation, compromising the Paris Agreement's bold targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celso H L Silva Junior
- Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Liana O Anderson
- Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Marisa G Fonseca
- Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Veraterra-Mapping and Environmental Consultancy, Praça Pedro Gomes, s/n, Serra Grande, Uruçuca, BA 45680-000 Brazil
| | - Yosio E Shimabukuro
- Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Frédéric Achard
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - René Beuchle
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Izaya Numata
- Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Carlos A Silva
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Eduardo E Maeda
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marcos Longo
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Sassan S Saatchi
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
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29
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Dinerstein E, Joshi AR, Vynne C, Lee ATL, Pharand-Deschênes F, França M, Fernando S, Birch T, Burkart K, Asner GP, Olson D. A "Global Safety Net" to reverse biodiversity loss and stabilize Earth's climate. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/36/eabb2824. [PMID: 32917614 PMCID: PMC7473742 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb2824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Global strategies to halt the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change are often formulated separately, even though they are interdependent and risk failure if pursued in isolation. The Global Safety Net maps how expanded nature conservation addresses both overarching threats. We identify 50% of the terrestrial realm that, if conserved, would reverse further biodiversity loss, prevent CO2 emissions from land conversion, and enhance natural carbon removal. This framework shows that, beyond the 15.1% land area currently protected, 35.3% of land area is needed to conserve additional sites of particular importance for biodiversity and stabilize the climate. Fifty ecoregions and 20 countries contribute disproportionately to proposed targets. Indigenous lands overlap extensively with the Global Safety Net. Conserving the Global Safety Net could support public health by reducing the potential for zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 from emerging in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A R Joshi
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - C Vynne
- RESOLVE, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - T Birch
- Google, Mountain View, CA, USA
| | - K Burkart
- One Earth, Rockefeller Philanthropy, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - G P Asner
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - D Olson
- World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong SAR
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30
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Ploton P, Mortier F, Barbier N, Cornu G, Réjou-Méchain M, Rossi V, Alonso A, Bastin JF, Bayol N, Bénédet F, Bissiengou P, Chuyong G, Demarquez B, Doucet JL, Droissart V, Kamdem NG, Kenfack D, Memiaghe H, Moses L, Sonké B, Texier N, Thomas D, Zebaze D, Pélissier R, Gourlet-Fleury S. A map of African humid tropical forest aboveground biomass derived from management inventories. Sci Data 2020; 7:221. [PMID: 32641808 PMCID: PMC7343822 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0561-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Forest biomass is key in Earth carbon cycle and climate system, and thus under intense scrutiny in the context of international climate change mitigation initiatives (e.g. REDD+). In tropical forests, the spatial distribution of aboveground biomass (AGB) remains, however, highly uncertain. There is increasing recognition that progress is strongly limited by the lack of field observations over large and remote areas. Here, we introduce the Congo basin Forests AGB (CoFor-AGB) dataset that contains AGB estimations and associated uncertainty for 59,857 1-km pixels aggregated from nearly 100,000 ha of in situ forest management inventories for the 2000 - early 2010s period in five central African countries. A comprehensive error propagation scheme suggests that the uncertainty on AGB estimations derived from c. 0.5-ha inventory plots (8.6-15.0%) is only moderately higher than the error obtained from scientific sampling plots (8.3%). CoFor-AGB provides the first large scale view of forest AGB spatial variation from field data in central Africa, the second largest continuous tropical forest domain of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Ploton
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
| | - Frédéric Mortier
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Université de Montpellier, F-34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Nicolas Barbier
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Guillaume Cornu
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Université de Montpellier, F-34000, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Vivien Rossi
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Alfonso Alonso
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jean-François Bastin
- CAVELab Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Bayol
- FRM Ingénierie, 34130, Mauguio - Grand Montpellier, France
| | - Fabrice Bénédet
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Université de Montpellier, F-34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Pulchérie Bissiengou
- Institut de pharmacopée et de médecine traditionnelle (Herbier National du Gabon), CENAREST, Libreville, Gabon
| | - Georges Chuyong
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | | | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- Forest is Life, TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Vincent Droissart
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Narcisse Guy Kamdem
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - David Kenfack
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, NMNH - MRC 166, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Hervé Memiaghe
- Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, Libreville, Gabon
| | - Libalah Moses
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Nicolas Texier
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
- Faculty of Sciences, Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP160/12, 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Duncan Thomas
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA
| | - Donatien Zebaze
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory (LaBosystE), Department of Biology, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 047, Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Raphaël Pélissier
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, F-34398 Montpellier, France; Université de Montpellier, F-34000, Montpellier, France
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31
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Watson JEM, Keith DA, Strassburg BBN, Venter O, Williams B, Nicholson E. Set a global target for ecosystems. Nature 2020; 578:360-362. [PMID: 32071453 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-020-00446-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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32
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Bullock EL, Woodcock CE, Souza C, Olofsson P. Satellite-based estimates reveal widespread forest degradation in the Amazon. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:2956-2969. [PMID: 32022338 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic and natural forest disturbance cause ecological damage and carbon emissions. Forest disturbance in the Amazon occurs in the form of deforestation (conversion of forest to non-forest land covers), degradation from the extraction of forest resources, and destruction from natural events. The crucial role of the Amazon rainforest in the hydrologic cycle has even led to the speculation of a disturbance "tipping point" leading to a collapse of the tropical ecosystem. Here we use time series analysis of Landsat data to map deforestation, degradation, and natural disturbance in the Amazon Ecoregion from 1995 to 2017. The map was used to stratify the study area for selection of sample units that were assigned reference labels based on their land cover and disturbance history. An unbiased statistical estimator was applied to the sample of reference observations to obtain estimates of area and uncertainty at biennial time intervals. We show that degradation and natural disturbance, largely during periods of severe drought, have affected as much of the forest area in the Amazon Ecoregion as deforestation from 1995 to 2017. Consequently, an estimated 17% (1,036,800 ± 24,800 km2 , 95% confidence interval) of the original forest area has been disturbed as of 2017. Our results suggest that the area of disturbed forest in the Amazon is 44%-60% more than previously realized, indicating an unaccounted for source of carbon emissions and pervasive damage to forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric L Bullock
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Curtis E Woodcock
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carlos Souza
- Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia - Imazon, Belém, Brazil
| | - Pontus Olofsson
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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Carbon Dynamics in a Human-Modified Tropical Forest: A Case Study Using Multi-Temporal LiDAR Data. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12030430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Tropical forests hold significant amounts of carbon and play a critical role on Earth´s climate system. To date, carbon dynamics over tropical forests have been poorly assessed, especially over vast areas of the tropics that have been affected by some type of disturbance (e.g., selective logging, understory fires, and fragmentation). Understanding the multi-temporal dynamics of carbon stocks over human-modified tropical forests (HMTF) is crucial to close the carbon cycle balance in the tropics. Here, we used multi-temporal and high-spatial resolution airborne LiDAR data to quantify rates of carbon dynamics over a large patch of HMTF in eastern Amazon, Brazil. We described a robust approach to monitor changes in aboveground forest carbon stocks between 2012 and 2018. Our results showed that this particular HMTF lost 0.57 m·yr−1 in mean forest canopy height and 1.38 Mg·C·ha−1·yr−1 of forest carbon between 2012 and 2018. LiDAR-based estimates of Aboveground Carbon Density (ACD) showed progressive loss through the years, from 77.9 Mg·C·ha−1 in 2012 to 53.1 Mg·C·ha−1 in 2018, thus a decrease of 31.8%. Rates of carbon stock changes were negative for all time intervals analyzed, yielding average annual carbon loss rates of −1.34 Mg·C·ha−1·yr−1. This suggests that this HMTF is acting more as a source of carbon than a sink, having great negative implications for carbon emission scenarios in tropical forests. Although more studies of forest dynamics in HMTFs are necessary to reduce the current remaining uncertainties in the carbon cycle, our results highlight the persistent effects of carbon losses for the study area. HMTFs are likely to expand across the Amazon in the near future. The resultant carbon source conditions, directly associated with disturbances, may be essential when considering climate projections and carbon accounting methods.
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