Species Rewilding
Species rewilding is the reintroducing and restoration of key species that were previously driven out or exterminated from their native habitats to restore the health and functions of ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems can sequester more carbon, helping to stabilize our global climate system.
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Rewiring the Carbon Cycle: A Theoretical Framework for Animal-Driven Ecosystem Carbon Sequestration
The mathematical tools that scientists use to account for the amount of carbon captured and stored in ecosystems rarely consider the effects of animals. This stems from the assumption that because animals are much rarer than plants and microbes in ecosystems their potential influence ought to be minimal. Yet, field studies have begun to show that this assumption may not be accurate. Here, we report on modeling analyses that incorporate insights from field research about the different ways that animals can affect carbon uptake and storage in ecosystems through their interactions with plants and microbes. Our analyses show that animal presence fundamentally changes the relationships between plants, microbes, and the environment. In turn, this leads to large changes in the amount of carbon captured and stored in ecosystems relative to conditions that exclude animals. Hence, animals can be allies in fighting climate change as a key addition to the growing portfolio of nature-based climate change solutions.
Financing conservation by valuing carbon services produced by wild animals
The involvement of financial markets is critical to delivering effective and long-lasting solutions to mitigate climate change and reverse biodiversity loss. However, financial markets have not invested in ecosystem services because these are often valued based on non-market prices, which deter investments. Based on existing carbon market prices, we value the carbon services produced by forest elephants and show that wild animals’ carbon services are valuable enough to attract investors. This framework would facilitate the financing of conservation programs and local communities and broaden the portfolio of nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change.
Animating the Carbon Cycle
Climate change is commonly viewed as causing collateral damage to biodiversity. Wildlife species, particularly animals, are widely perceived as unwitting victims - passengers trapped aboard a ship on an ill-fated voyage. In reality, animals play a critical role in determining the course of the climate ship. From elephants to grasshoppers, sharks to sea otters, species of all descriptions, habitats, and climate zones impact global carbon exchange in different ways. Within a complex web of interactions, some have a greater impact than others, while the impact of the same species may vary from ecosystem to ecosystem. This report provides 10 case studies that showcase the diversity and complexity of the relationship between animals and the global carbon cycle, both in terrestrial and marine environments. They also demonstrate just how important it is to protect and restore wildlife populations as we look to address climate change.
An ecoregion-based approach to restoring the world's intact large mammal assemblages
Assemblages of large mammal species play a disproportionate role in the structure and composition of natural habitats. Loss of these assemblages destabilizes natural systems, while their recovery can restore ecological integrity. Here we take an ecoregion-based approach to identify landscapes that retain their historically present large mammal assemblages, and map ecoregions where reintroduction of 1–3 species could restore intact assemblages. Intact mammal assemblages occur across more than one-third of the 730 terrestrial ecoregions where large mammals were historically present, and 22% of these ecoregions retain complete assemblages across > 20% of the ecoregion area. Twenty species, if reintroduced or allowed to recolonize through improved connectivity, can increase the area of the world containing intact large mammal assemblages by 54% (11 116 000 km2). Each of these species have at least two large, intact habitat areas (> 10 000 km2) in a given ecoregion. Timely integration of recovery efforts for large mammals strengthens area-based targets being considered under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions
Natural climate solutions are being advanced to arrest climate warming by protecting and enhancing carbon capture and storage in plants, soils, and sediments in ecosystems. These solutions are viewed as having the ancillary benefit of protecting habitats and landscapes to conserve animal species diversity. However, this reasoning undervalues the role animals play in controlling the carbon cycle. This paper presents scientific evidence showing that protecting and restoring wild animals and their functional roles can enhance natural carbon capture and storage. The authors call for new thinking that includes the restoration and conservation of wild animals and their ecosystem roles as a key component of natural climate solutions that can enhance the ability to prevent climate warming beyond 1.5 °C.