Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States
This paper provides a review and comparison of strategies to increase forest carbon, and reduce species losses for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the United States. It compares forest management strategies and actions that are taking place or being proposed to reduce wildfire risk and t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Land |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/721 |
| _version_ | 1797498561876721664 |
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| author | Beverly E. Law William R. Moomaw Tara W. Hudiburg William H. Schlesinger John D. Sterman George M. Woodwell |
| author_facet | Beverly E. Law William R. Moomaw Tara W. Hudiburg William H. Schlesinger John D. Sterman George M. Woodwell |
| author_sort | Beverly E. Law |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper provides a review and comparison of strategies to increase forest carbon, and reduce species losses for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the United States. It compares forest management strategies and actions that are taking place or being proposed to reduce wildfire risk and to increase carbon storage with recent research findings. International agreements state that safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystems is fundamental to climate resilience with respect to climate change impacts on them, and their roles in adaptation and mitigation. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on impacts, mitigation, and adaptation found, and member countries agreed, that maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services at a global scale is “fundamental” for climate mitigation and adaptation, and requires “effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30 to 50% of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas, including current near-natural ecosystems.” Our key message is that many of the current and proposed forest management actions in the United States are <i>not consistent</i> with climate goals, and that preserving 30 to 50% of lands for their carbon, biodiversity and water is feasible, effective, and necessary for achieving them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:35:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c92a5fb78ef142e0b2ca73866a0d785a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:35:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-c92a5fb78ef142e0b2ca73866a0d785a2023-11-23T11:48:00ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-05-0111572110.3390/land11050721Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United StatesBeverly E. Law0William R. Moomaw1Tara W. Hudiburg2William H. Schlesinger3John D. Sterman4George M. Woodwell5Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USAThe Fletcher School and Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USADepartment of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USACary Institute of Ecosystems Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545, USAMIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAWoodwell Climate Research Center, Falmouth, MA 02540, USAThis paper provides a review and comparison of strategies to increase forest carbon, and reduce species losses for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the United States. It compares forest management strategies and actions that are taking place or being proposed to reduce wildfire risk and to increase carbon storage with recent research findings. International agreements state that safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystems is fundamental to climate resilience with respect to climate change impacts on them, and their roles in adaptation and mitigation. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on impacts, mitigation, and adaptation found, and member countries agreed, that maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services at a global scale is “fundamental” for climate mitigation and adaptation, and requires “effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30 to 50% of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas, including current near-natural ecosystems.” Our key message is that many of the current and proposed forest management actions in the United States are <i>not consistent</i> with climate goals, and that preserving 30 to 50% of lands for their carbon, biodiversity and water is feasible, effective, and necessary for achieving them.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/721carbon dioxidebiodiversitypreservation targetsclimate mitigationclimate adaptationdeforestation proforestation |
| spellingShingle | Beverly E. Law William R. Moomaw Tara W. Hudiburg William H. Schlesinger John D. Sterman George M. Woodwell Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States Land carbon dioxide biodiversity preservation targets climate mitigation climate adaptation deforestation proforestation |
| title | Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States |
| title_full | Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States |
| title_short | Creating Strategic Reserves to Protect Forest Carbon and Reduce Biodiversity Losses in the United States |
| title_sort | creating strategic reserves to protect forest carbon and reduce biodiversity losses in the united states |
| topic | carbon dioxide biodiversity preservation targets climate mitigation climate adaptation deforestation proforestation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/721 |
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