Nature-Based Solutions
Enhancing climate change mitigation in protected areasBackgroundProtected areas (PAs) cover roughly 15–17% of the Earth’s land surface and contain a large share of remaining intact ecosystems, many of which store high densities of carbon. With global terrestrial ecosystems absorbing about 3 GtC yr⁻¹, understanding how much of this sink is associated with PAs is important for integrating biodiversity and climate strategies. However, evidence on PA effectiveness for carbon protection, across thousands of sites and multiple biomes, is dispersed and unevenly synthesized. Open access copy available |
Aboveground and belowground tree biomass and carbon stocks in the miombo woodlands of the Copperbelt in ZambiaBackgroundMiombo Woodlands occupy an estimated 2.7 million km² across southern Africa and support millions of people through fuelwood, charcoal, and non-timber products, while also storing substantial carbon. In Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, woodland conversion and degradation for charcoal and agriculture risk reducing carbon stocks, but local biomass values are poorly constrained, leading to uncertainty in national estimates and REDD+ baselines. This study responds to the need for site-specific biomass and carbon data in one of Zambia’s most industrialized and heavily used miombo regions. Open access copy available |
Global carbon budget 2013Background“Global carbon budget 2013” updates the living carbon budget series through 2012, documenting continued growth in anthropogenic Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and atmospheric concentrations. Atmospheric CO2 rises from about 277 ppm in 1750 to 392.52 ± 0.10 ppm on average in 2012, with daily values exceeding 400 ppm at Mauna Loa in May 2013, symbolizing entry into a new high CO2 regime. The paper positions this trend against persistent fossil fuel dependence and ongoing land-use change, particularly deforestation. Open access copy available |
Global potential and limits of mangrove blue carbon for climate change mitigationBackgroundDespite national and international policy organizations’ interest in blue carbon financing for mangrove conservation, there is a lack of investment in payments for ecosystem services from the commercial sector. To encourage future investments and scale up blue carbon projects, it is necessary to address knowledge gaps on the financial return on investment for blue carbon projects. Open access copy available |
Decreasing landscape carbon storage in western US forests with 2 °C of warmingBackgroundThis study investigates how a 2°C increase in global mean temperature above pre-industrial levels could alter above-ground carbon storage in forests across the western United States, a region already experiencing climate-driven tree mortality, reduced regeneration, and more frequent fire and insect outbreaks. Forest carbon density is treated as a “carbon carrying capacity” controlled by climate and disturbance regimes, and there is concern that warming and drying will shift many areas towards lower carbon forest or non-forest states, with implications for climate mitigation and carbon offset projects. Open access copy available |
The status of forest carbon markets in Latin AmericaBackground:Latin America (LATAM) hosts some of the world’s largest tropical forests, which provide significant carbon sequestration and a major share of global forest carbon credits. Despite these benefits, deforestation and forest degradation remain critical issues. Forest carbon markets, both compliance and voluntary, have emerged as key mechanisms to finance conservation, reduce emissions, and enhance climate resilience. Open access copy available |
The natural capital framework for sustainably efficient and equitable decision makingBackgroundThe concept of ‘natural capital’ is increasingly accepted in government and private sector decision-making for its role in sustaining economic and social well-being. However, the field is fragmented, and many applications misuse its foundations in economics and ecology, which this perspective addresses by proposing an integrated framework. Available with subscription or purchase |
Valuing natural capital and ecosystem services toward the goals of efficiency, fairness, and sustainabilityBackgroundNatural capital (NC) and ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to sustaining human life, but valuing them requires a whole-system understanding of the interdependencies between humans and nature. Conventional economic valuation, based solely on individual willingness-to-pay, is too narrow for this complex task. Available with subscription or purchase |
Ecosystem services in decision making: time to deliverBackgroundOver the past decade, valuing and protecting ecosystem services has been promoted as a strategy to mainstream conservation globally. While the vision of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is gaining traction, a significant scientific and policy-implementation gap remains. Natural capital is often undervalued or ignored in major decisions by governments, businesses, and the public, a problem highlighted by natural disasters and crises where the loss of protective services becomes starkly apparent. Open access copy available |
Diverse values of nature for sustainabilityBackgroundDespite 25 years of progress in valuing ecosystem services, a global biodiversity crisis persists, underpinned by a "values crisis." Current policies and decisions often prioritize a narrow subset of market-based instrumental values, ignoring the diverse ways people relate to and benefit from nature. This paper, based on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Values Assessment, synthesizes over 50,000 sources to address this gap. Open access copy available |
