Securing the climate benefits of stable forests

Abstract

Stable foreststhose not already significantly disturbed nor facing predictable nearfuture risks of anthropogenic disturbancemay play a large role in the climate solution, due to their carbon sequestration and storage capabilities. Their importance is recognized by the Paris Agreement, but stable forests have received comparatively little attention through existing forest protection mechanisms and finance. Instead, emphasis has been placed on targeting locations where deforestation and forest degradation are happening actively. Yet stopping deforestation and forest degradation does not guarantee durable success, especially outside the geographic scope of targeted efforts. As a result, today's stable forests may be at risk without additional efforts to secure their long-term conservation. We synthesize the gaps in existing policy efforts that could address the climaterelated benefits derived from stable forests, noting several barriers to action, such as uncertainty around the level of climate services that stable forests provide and difficulties describing the real level of threat posed. We argue that resource and finance allocation for stable forests should be incorporated into countries' and donors' comprehensive portfolios aimed at tackling deforestation and forest degradation as well as resulting emissions. A holistic and forward-looking approach will be particularly important, given that success in tackling deforestation and forest degradation where it is currently happening will need to be sustained in the long term. Key policy insights. Climate policies, finance, and implementation have tended to focus on areas of recent forest loss and near-term threats of anthropogenic disturbance, resulting in an imbalance of effort that fails to adequately address stable forests.. In some contexts, policy measuresintended to secure the climate-related benefits of stable forests have competed poorly against more urgent threats. Policymakers and finance mechanisms should view stable forests as a complementary element within a holistic, long-term approach to resource management.. International mechanisms and national frameworks should be adjusted and resourced to promote the long-term sustainability and permanence of stable forests.. Beyond additional resources, the climate benefits of stable forests may be best secured by pro-actively designing implementing policies that recognize the rights and interests of stakeholders who are affected by land management decisions.

Old growth Afrotropical forests critical for maintaining forest carbon

“…Agricultural development or other activities that necessitate deforestation should only occur in secondary forests with low AGC. Importantly, international mechanisms should also include provisions for promoting the permanence of stable, intact old growth forests like those in Gabon (Funk et al., 2019). Similar attention should be given to logging concessions in carbon dense forests that represent a large proportion of remaining Central African forests.…”

“…In Gabon, conservation of its stable, majestic forests ought to be a priority, while also carefully managing high carbon, degraded forests and promoting regeneration of secondary forests. Protecting forests that are not already significantly disturbed and that contain abundant large trees can conserve carbon, biodiversity, and ecosystem services (Funk et al., 2019).…”

Understanding the importance of primary tropical forest protection as a mitigation strategy

“…As used here, primary forest encompasses related terms including stable forests (Funk et al 2019), intact forest (Watson et al 2018), along with old-growth, long untouched and virgin forest (Buchwald (2005). In tropical forests, the adjective 'primary' also refers to the ecologically mature stage of forest succession in the development of a stand with, typically, fast-growing and shorterlived tree species dominating disturbed sites, followed by slowing growing longer-lived ones (Chazdon et al 2010).…”

“…Protecting primary forests contributes to climate change mitigation through avoiding emissions from land use and land use change, supporting a stable carbon reservoir, and providing a significant carbon sink (Funk et al 2019). There are, however, no agreed and definitive data sources for defining the tropical forest biome, Mapping forest condition, quantifying extant forest cover, and estimating forest ecosystem carbon stocks.…”

“…Particular attention is being paid to tropical countries where deforestation and forest degradation rates are high and in some cases increasing (Baccini et al 2017;Grassi et al 2017;Griscom et al 2017a, b). While a range of forest-based mitigation strategies are recognised, the role of primary forest protection to date has not been explicitly considered in international policy negotiations (Mackey et al 2015;Watson et al 2018;Funk et al 2019).…”