Forests, oceans and wetlands are amazing carbon sinks and thus limit the effects of climate change , but a recent study showed that nine species of animals play an important role in achieving the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Some wild species facilitate carbon capture, by treading on the ground, eating plants and animals, or through their feces.
Preserving nine species, namely marine fish, whales, sharks, gray wolves, otters, sea otters, musk oxen, African forest elephants and American bison, captures 6.41 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. They were prepared by 15 scientists from eight countries.
The amount of carbon dioxide captured by these animals, combined with all other measures to reduce emissions, constitutes 95% of the amount needed annually to achieve the global goal of removing 500 gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere by 2100, which would keep global warming below a threshold. 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era.
Oswald Schmitz, the study's lead author, said, "Wild animals account for only 0.3% of carbon emissions within the global biomass, and this figure is not taken into account when calculating the amounts of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. However, several types of animals can contribute to the control significantly." significantly alters the carbon cycle, by causing changes of 15 to 250% in the amounts of carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by plants and soils.
Among these animals are the elephants of the Congo Basin forest, whose role is not only to eat tree seeds and defecate, which is an effective carbon storage process, but also contribute to the germination of trees through their feces. Also, by trampling on plants that grow beneath others, they provide more space for tall trees, which capture a large amount of carbon.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the number of these elephants has decreased by 86% over the past 31 years.
Restoring this species could store an additional 13 million tons of carbon annually, according to the scientists.
As for their extinction, it will cause a loss of 7% of the stored carbon quantities, equivalent to three tons in total, according to a study published in 2019.
Fish are the main contributors to the carbon storage process, as they alone are responsible for capturing 5.5 gigatonnes of this gas annually.
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Nine animal species help reduce global warming