The Need for Carbon Finance Schemes to Tackle Overexploitation of Tropical Forest Wildlife

Background

Tropical forests are essential carbon sinks, storing nearly half of Earth’s terrestrial carbon. However, ongoing deforestation and forest degradation are threatening their ability to sequester carbon. While carbon-based payment for ecosystem services (CBPES) schemes, such as REDD+, have been implemented to combat deforestation, they often overlook the role of defaunation in forest carbon loss. Defaunation, primarily caused by unsustainable hunting and wildlife trade, disrupts seed dispersal and tree recruitment, leading to shifts in forest composition toward species with lower wood density and reduced carbon storage capacity. This article argues for the urgent need to integrate wildlife conservation into carbon finance schemes to prevent further losses in aboveground biomass and ensure the long-term effectiveness of climate change mitigation efforts.

Goals and Methods

The study evaluates the impact of wildlife loss on tropical forest carbon storage and highlights the lack of defaunation considerations in existing carbon finance policies. The authors review literature on the relationship between animal-driven seed dispersal and tree recruitment, demonstrating how large-seeded, carbon-dense tree species rely on frugivorous vertebrates for regeneration. They then assess how overexploitation-induced defaunation can alter forest composition, leading to reduced aboveground biomass. Additionally, they examine the financial implications of ecosystem service loss due to hunting and propose three cost-effective interventions that could be incorporated into CBPES schemes: securing land tenure for Indigenous peoples and local communities, supporting local conservation efforts to prevent overexploitation, and prioritizing natural regeneration in restoration projects.

Conclusion

The study finds that defaunation-driven changes in tree species composition significantly impact aboveground carbon storage. Simulations suggest that forests with a high proportion of animal-dispersed trees could experience biomass reductions of up to 37.8% due to the loss of seed dispersers. Despite this, current carbon finance mechanisms fail to recognize overexploitation as a major threat to carbon sequestration. The authors argue that climate finance policies must incorporate wildlife conservation efforts to ensure long-term forest resilience. Key actions include securing land rights for Indigenous communities, providing financial and logistical support for local conservation initiatives, and integrating natural regeneration strategies into restoration efforts. Without these measures, carbon finance projects risk failing to achieve their intended climate mitigation goals.