EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Very large cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases are needed if we are to avoid the
worst effects of global climate change. This report describes the vital contribution that
ecosystems can and must make to these efforts.
To keep average temperature rises to less than 2°C, global Ecosystem carbon management can be a cost-effective ap-
emissions have to be reduced by up to 85% from 2000 lev- proach too. Without perverse subsidies to support alternative
els by 2050 and to peak no later than 2015, according to the land uses, the opportunity cost of reducing deforestation and
IPCC. restoring peatlands can be low. Overall, costs are modest rela-
tive to clean energy options.
But rather than slowing, the rate of greenhouse gas emissions
is going up. The most recent estimates indicate that human In many cases there is great scope for achieving other societal
activities are currently responsible for annual global carbon goals alongside carbon storage such as improving agricultural
emissions of around 10 Gt, of which around 1.5 Gt is a result soil fertility, creating new employment and income-generating
of land use change and the rest from fossil fuel use and ce- opportunities, and contributing to biodiversity conservation. A
ment production (Canadell et al. 2007). This has led to an clearer understanding of the benefits and costs of ecosystem
average annual rate of increase of carbon dioxide concentra- carbon management is needed to inform land use decisions.
tions in the atmosphere of just under 2 ppm for the years
1995–2005 compared with around 1.25 ppm for the years There are risks and uncertainties that need to be taken into ac-
1960–1995 (IPCC 2007b). count. Some ecosystem carbon stores can be lost through the
impact of climate change itself and changes in land use. All
Vigorous efforts are needed to reverse this trend and doing so stores, except perhaps peat, will eventually reach saturation.
will be impossible without addressing carbon losses from eco- There is still uncertainty about the amounts sequestered under
systems such as forests and peatlands. Managing ecosystems different management regimes and considerable variability be-
for carbon can not only reduce carbon emissions; it can also tween areas and much work to be done on how best to manage
actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Restor- and monitor carbon. While forests, agriculture and peatland
ing some of the large amounts of carbon lost from soils, par- have been highlighted as urgent priorities, the role of other eco-
ticularly from agricultural soils and drylands has the greatest systems is also important and needs to be taken into account.
potential here. A challenging but achievable goal is to make
agriculture carbon neutral by 2030. Currently, this natural fix Implementation of widespread ecosystem carbon manage-
is the only feasible option for removing carbon from the at- ment policies presents great challenges, raising significant
mosphere at large; carbon capture and storage technologies institutional and regulatory issues and complex political and
are appropriate only for concentrated point sources such as socio-economic dilemmas. In particular, an effective policy will
power stations. need to achieve a balance between rural livelihoods and carbon
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