Protect, manage and then restore lands for climate mitigation

Background

This article examines how Natural Climate Solutions (NCS)—actions that protect, manage, or restore ecosystems—can mitigate climate change by reducing or removing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While cutting fossil fuel emissions is vital, NCS provide a complementary and cost-effective pathway that also improves air, soil, and water quality. However, global efforts often overprioritize restoration, such as large-scale tree planting, while undervaluing protection and improved management. Recognizing that financial and temporal constraints require prioritization, the authors propose an “NCS hierarchy” to guide policymakers, corporations, and land managers toward the most efficient climate strategies.

Goals and Methods

The study introduces a hierarchical framework—protect first, then manage, and finally restore—to optimize climate benefits from NCS. Cook-Patton et al. assess the relative performance of these three approaches using four key criteria: (1) mitigation potential, (2) cost-effectiveness, (3) immediacy of benefits, and (4) co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation and livelihood support. They analyze existing datasets and marginal abatement cost (MAC) estimates from previous studies across multiple regions, including the U.S. and Canada, to determine which actions yield the greatest climate returns per dollar invested. The framework builds on earlier mitigation hierarchies, such as the AR3T model (avoid, reduce, regenerate, restore, transform), with a sharper focus on maximizing GHG mitigation.

Conclusions and Takeaways

The authors conclude that protecting intact ecosystems provides the highest and fastest carbon benefits at the lowest cost while supporting biodiversity and local livelihoods. Improved management is a cost-effective approach that enhances productivity and carbon storage without requiring major land-use changes. Restoration offers long-term mitigation and social benefits but is more expensive and slower to deliver results. The authors emphasize that these strategies are complementary, not exclusive; an integrated approach combining protection, management, and restoration builds greater ecosystem resilience and sustainability. The NCS hierarchy thus serves as a practical decision-making tool to guide investments toward the most impactful climate and ecological outcomes.