![]() Quantifying carbon stocks in mountain grasslands28.08.2014Carbon market and climate finance schemes, such as the Clean Development Mechanism, REDD+ and the Green Climate Fund, are being examined for their ability to achieve enhanced sustainability outcomes in terrestrial forests, lowland grasslands and marine ecosystems, all which store large amounts of carbon (C). To date, however, climate policy discourse has largely overlooked the conservation of existing carbon stored in mountain grasslands and shrublands. These ecosystems provide critical ecological goods and services to humanity yet are increasingly at risk from anthropogenic stressors including agricultural intensification, mining and climate change. The absence of a global estimate for these carbon stocks is likely to be one reason for their exclusion from climate change policy discussions, both on a political and scientific basis.
Carbonlab's review of existing empirical studies and of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) national greenhouse accounts suggests that this C is not reliably accounted for in international carbon budgets. This study, according to Ward, provides a much needed global point of reference, useful in developing future research and in climate policy discussions. Email a request to read more. |
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