Savannas and grasslands in drier climates around the world store more carbon than scientists previously thought and are helping to slow the rate of climate warming, according to a new study.
Planting trees and suppressing wildfires do not necessarily maximise the carbon storage of natural ecosystems. A new study has found that prescribed burning can actually lock in or increase carbon in the soils of temperate forests, savannahs and grasslands.
Researchers have analysed decades’ worth of data on the impact of repeated fires on ecosystems across the world. Their results, published today in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, show that repeated fires are driving long-term changes to tree communities and reducing their population sizes.
Climate change is driving more frequent and intense wildfires, damaging ecosystems and causing major carbon emissions. A Cambridge researcher is figuring out how to give nature a helping hand.
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