Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential
Nature, Vol.624, pp.92-101
2023
Abstract
Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system1. Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced and satellite-derived approaches to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands. Despite regional variation, the predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at a global scale, with only a 12% difference between the ground-sourced and satellite-derived estimates. At present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, with a total deficit of 226 Gt (model range = 151–363 Gt) in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 Gt C) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% (87 Gt C) of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented. Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, our results support the idea that the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of diverse forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets.
Details
- Title
- Integrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential
- Authors
- Mo Lidong (Corresponding Author) - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in ZurichConstantin M. Zohner (Corresponding Author) - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in ZurichPeter B Reich (Author) - Western Sydney UniversityJingjing Liang (Author) - Purdue UniversitySergio de-Miguel (Author) - Universitat de LleidaGert-Jan Nabuurs (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchSusanne S. Renner (Author) - Washington University in St. LouisJohan van den Hoogen (Author) - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in ZurichArnan Araza (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchSee article text for complete list of authors (Author)Robin Chazdon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstituteJohn Herbohn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstituteAndrew Marshall (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstituteSharif A Mukul (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research Institute
- Publication details
- Nature, Vol.624, pp.92-101
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41586-023-06723-z
- ISSN
- 1476-4687; 0028-0836
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99979098202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
1 File views/ downloads
57 Record Views