Forest Regeneration Overlooked in Climate Change combatting strategies, per new study.
Swift Forests: The Hidden Stars in Climate Change Combat
Attention, policymakers! You might be overlooking the planet's green superheroes: naturally regenerating forests. New research, featured in the esteemed journal Nature Climate Change, reveals these unsung heroes could rapidly soak up gigantic amounts of carbon—aiding us in our race to slow global warming.
Secondary forests—self-healing woodlands that rebound following deforestation for agricultural purposes—are a veritable treasure trove of carbon-storage potential. These youthful woods, between 20 to 40 years old, can rip carbon from the atmosphere a whopping eight times faster per hectare than freshly planted forests, wowing the scientific community.
All around the globe, companies are rapidly raking in millions of dollars in a funding frenzy, aiming to regrow entire forests from scratch to cash in on the sale of carbon credits to polluting industries seeking to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the big catch? Secondary forests are often prohibited from reaching their optimal carbon-absorbing ages. This owing to two primary factors: either they are mercilessly deforested or victim to the relentless onslaught of fires or pests.
In the humid tropics, only 6% of secondary forests grow to reach their maturity of two decades. Nathaniel Robinson, a researcher from the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, reframed the issue bluntly: "It's a relentless cycle of deforestation." This current state, he remarked, is likely the result of policy loopholes.
Robin Chazdon, research professor at the Forest Research Institute of the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia and not involved in the research, highlighted the grave importance of this newly-refined assessment of regenerating forests' global carbon sequestration capacity.
Last week, Reuters disclosed a significant loophole in the Amazon Soy Moratorium, an agreement purporting to halt the buying of soy beans produced on recently deforested land. In the wake of this, Brazilian farmers have taken advantage of the gap to market soy beans grown in decimated secondary forests as genuinely deforestation-free.
Similar to the Amazon Soy Moratorium, numerous conservation policies worldwide often neglect regenerating forests. They concentrate their efforts and protection on established forests, sidelining the young secondary forests that pack the most rapid and substantial carbon removal punch.
In the Brazilian Amazon, half of the secondary forests are cleared within just eight years of regrowth, as researchers uncovered. The helmsman of this reforestation study, Susan Cook-Patton, a reforestation expert from The Nature Conservancy, conceded that these forests are often overlooked, but highlighted their immense potential in reducing carbon emissions, if only we take heed.
Enrichment Data:
Current Policies and Challenges:
- Nature-based Solutions in International Frameworks: The Paris Agreement (Article 5) and Sustainable Development Goal 15 (life on land) encourage nature-based solutions including forest restoration, raising investments in natural regeneration approaches.
- Forest Strategy and Legal Frameworks: The European Union’s Forest Strategy 2030 prioritizes billions of tree restorations over industrial plantations, while Brazil is reforming land-use laws to encourage regeneration in suitable areas.
- Carbon Credit Market Standards: Voluntary carbon markets such as the Verra Verified Carbon Standard prioritize secondary forest preservation, offering premium pricing for regeneration projects.
Challenges facing Secondary Forests:
- Policy and Reporting Oversights: Despite their fast carbon sequestration, secondary forests often lack recognition in current climate policies and carbon accounting frameworks.
- Forest Clearance and Land Use Pressures: Many regenerating forests are cleared before reaching peak carbon sequestration, like in the Brazilian Amazon where half are cleared within eight years, and in Costa Rica, where typical clearance occurs at 20 years.
- Human and Climate Disturbances: Climate-related disturbances like fires, pests, and droughts can prevent forests from reaching optimal carbon sequestration stage.
- Lack of Long-term Protection and Management: The potential for carbon removal from secondary forests relies on sustained, undisturbed growth. However, existing policies often lack mechanisms to protect these forests for extended periods.
- Funding and Resource Mobilization: Despite natural regeneration being a low-cost, high-impact climate strategy, increased investments, political will, and initiatives are needed to secure and sustain the climate mitigation potential of naturally regenerating forests, especially in regions like the Amazon and Congo Basin.
- The new research in Nature Climate Change highlights a critical policy oversight: the undervaluation of secondary forests in climate-change combat, which have the potential to rapidly sequester significant amounts of carbon.
- In the global race to slow down global warming, it's crucial to address the policy loopholes that hinders the growth and maturity of secondary forests, as these self-healing woodlands can absorb carbon at a rate eight times faster per hectare than freshly planted forests.
- In light of the growing importance of environmental science in policy-and-legislation, attention should be given to the general-news of the challenges faced by secondary forests, such as the lack of recognition, long-term protection, and adequate funding, which hinder their full carbon sequestration capabilities.
