Equivalent impacts of logging and beaver activities on aboveground carbon stock loss in the southernmost forest on Earth
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: The conservation of forest landscapes is crucial for global climate strategies, and the forest in Tierra del Fuego, located in Patagonia, represents the southernmost example on Earth. These ecosystems are critical for Chile's roadmap toward carbon neutrality. Unfortunately, these ecosystems have been impacted by logging and beaver activities. Currently, the precise contribution of each driver to forest cover and carbon stock loss remains insufficiently quantified, impeding effective policymaking and the implementation of strategies to safeguard and enhance carbon stocks in these ecosystems. In this study, we conducted an assessment of forest carbon stock loss resulting from both logging and beaver activities in Chilean Tierra del Fuego from 1986 to 2019. While beavers have received significant attention for their substantial contribution to forest cover loss (56.1% forest cover, ≈ 1.4 MtC), our findings suggest that logging has nearly equally contributed to carbon stock depletion (43.8% forest cover, ≈ 1.2 MtC). Consequently, the prevailing focus on beavers has obscured the ongoing logging-induced carbon stock loss. The implications of our study highlight the urgency for comprehensive consideration of both drivers in Chile's climate strategy to fulfill the country's mitigation commitments.
Source: Scientific Reports
Language: English
Topic: Forest Management and Policy
Subfield: Forestry
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,390
Funders: Wildlife Conservation Society, Agenția Națională pentru Cercetare și Dezvoltare, Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de Chile, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad de La Frontera, Universidad de Magallanes, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, National Institute on Aging, Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigación en Áreas Prioritarias, CHIST-ERA, Centro de Investigación GAIA Antártica, Universidad de Magallanes
Awards: G1376562999, G2353769666, G3803839696, G4104661496, ADQUISICION DE UN ANALIZADOR DE CARBONO Y NITROGENO EN MUESTRAS LIQUIDAS Y SOLIDAS PARA ESTIMAR CONTENIDO ACUMULACION Y PERDIDA DE CARBONO EN TURBERAS BOSQUES Y CUERPOS DE AGUA DE LA PATAGONIA, ECOSYSTEM CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL LINKAGES ALONG THE CONTINENT-OCEAN CONTINUUM. LONG-TERM SOCIO ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN PATAGONIA (PATSER), CENTER FOR CLIMATE AND RESILIENCE RESEARCH, ENTENDIENDO LA CONFIGURACION ESPACIAL DE LOS PAISAJES RESISTENTES A INCENDIOS FORESTALES MEDIANTE INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL, CARBON DYNAMICS IN PATAGONIAN PEATLANDS ARE BEAVERS TRANSFORMING CARBON SINKS INTO NET CARBON SOURCES?, G87385173, Control of fibrillar amyloid beta-protein, ASSESSMENT OF CARBON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM PATAGONIAN INLAND WATERS AFFECTED BY BEAVER IMPOUNDMENTS
OpenAlex ID: W4387965612