Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Biological invasions and carbon sequestration guide many modern-day land management decisions. However, intersections between invasions and natural climate solutions (NCS)—actions to maintain or increase the land carbon sink—have not received adequate attention in either the invasion or climate mitigation literature. We therefore review how plant invasions affect NCS and vice versa, focusing on reductions in emissions and carbon removals associated with avoided habitat conversion, restoration, forest and cropland management, agroforestry, and optimal grazing. We find that plant invasions can interfere with rapid NCS implementation and reduce the durability of carbon storage in many systems, although there are cases in which invasive plants increase carbon storage, creating biodiversity-climate mitigation trade-offs. At the same time, studies find that several NCS increase community resistance/resilience to invasions, and do so in forests, in particular, which can suppress invasive species spread in these systems. These dynamics suggest a positive feedback loop between NCS and invasions, in which NCS facilitate invasion control, and successful invasion control, in turn, eases further NCS implementation. This feedback could accelerate gains in land-based carbon storage and generate co-benefits for biodiversity, provided that NCS projects receive resources for sustained invasive species management. We highlight areas in need of further research, including how financial mechanisms for climate action could be used to overcome invasion-induced implementation barriers.
Source: Environmental Research Letters
Authors: Evelyn M Beaury, Jonathan M Levine
Institution: Princeton University
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,045
OpenAlex ID: W7220704603