Biodiversity in forest carbon sequestration initiatives: not just a side benefit

DÍAZ S; HÉCTOR, A.; WARDLE DA

Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

Elsevier

Año: 2009 vol. 1 p. 55 - 60

1877-3435

One way of mitigating global climate change is protecting and enhancing biosphere carbon stocks. The success of mitigation initiatives depends on the long-term net balance between carbon gains and losses. The biodiversity of ecological communities, including composition and  ariability of traits of plants and soil organisms, can alter this balance in several ways. This influence can be direct, through determining the magnitude, turnover rate, and longevity of carbon stocks in soil and vegetation. It can also be indirect through influencing the value and therefore the protection that societies give to ecosystems and their carbon stocks. Biodiversity of forested ecosystems has important consequences for long-term carbon storage, and thus warrants incorporation into the design, implementation, and regulatory framework of  gation initiatives.