Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system.
A recent scientific study reveals that, at present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented.
Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, the results support the idea that afforestation, sustainable management and conservation of forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets.
