Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests

Christopher D. Philipson; Mark E.J. Cutler; Philip G. Brodrick; Gregory P.  Asner; Doreen S. Boyd; Pedro  Moura Costa; Joel  Fiddes; Giles M.  Foody; Geertje M.F.  van der Heijden; Alicia Ledo; Philippa R.  Lincoln; James A.  Margrove; Roberta E  Martin; Sol Milne; Michelle Pinard; Glen Reynolds; Martijn  Snoep; Martijn  Snoep; Hamzah  Tangki; Yap Sau  Wai; Charlotte Wheeler; David Burslem

doi:10.1126/science.aay4490

Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests

Christopher D. Philipson^* (Corresponding Author), Mark E.J. Cutler^* (Corresponding Author), Philip G. Brodrick, Gregory P. Asner, Doreen S. Boyd, Pedro Moura Costa, Joel Fiddes, Giles M. Foody, Geertje M.F. van der Heijden, Alicia Ledo, Philippa R. Lincoln, James A. Margrove, Roberta E Martin, Sol Milne, Michelle Pinard, Glen Reynolds, Martijn Snoep, Martijn Snoep, Hamzah Tangki, Yap Sau WaiCharlotte Wheeler, David Burslem

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

More than half of all tropical forests are degraded by human impacts, leaving them threatened with conversion to agricultural plantations and risking substantial biodiversity and carbon losses. Restoration could accelerate recovery of aboveground carbon density (ACD), but adoption of restoration is constrained by cost and uncertainties over effectiveness. We report a long-term comparison of ACD recovery rates between naturally regenerating and actively restored logged tropical forests. Restoration enhanced decadal ACD recovery by more than 50%, from 2.9 to 4.4 megagrams per hectare per year. This magnitude of response, coupled with modal values of restoration costs globally, would require higher carbon prices to justify investment in restoration. However, carbon prices required to fulfill the 2016 Paris climate agreement [$40 to $80 (USD) per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent] would provide an economic justification for tropical forest restoration.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	838-841
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	369
Issue number	6505
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay4490
Publication status	Published - 14 Aug 2020

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements: We thank the Sabah Biodiversity Council and the Danum Valley Management Committee for permission to conduct this work. INFAPRO field data were obtained by research assistants at Yayasan Sabah’s and Face the Future’s joint large-scale forest rehabilitation project INFAPRO. We acknowledge the assistance and support from the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) and Sabah Forestry. We also acknowledge John Tay for assistance and advice for the original set-up of the project. We are grateful to Jake Alexander, Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, Elaine Watts and Jules Bailey from mosaic media for help with graphics and cartography. Comments from four anonymous reviewers and editors greatly improved previous versions of the manuscript. Funding: Field data were acquired for the EU funded INDFORSUS project (ER-BIC18T960102) to GMF and from projects funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (Ref. 50076) to MEJC and DFRPB and the DfID / NERC Programme ‘Understanding the impact of the current El Nino event’ (NE/P004806/1) to MEJC, DFRPB, DSB, GMF, GMFvdH. Airborne carbon mapping, processing and analysis were funded by the UN Development Programme GEF, Avatar Alliance Foundation, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Worldwide Fund for Nature, Morgan Family Foundation, and the Rainforest Trust to GA, GR.

Keywords

ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS
ACCUMULATION
ALLOMETRIC MODELS
BORNEO
DANUM-VALLEY
LAND-USE
RAIN-FOREST
SABAH
STOCKS
TREE DIVERSITY

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

Philipson, C. D., Cutler, M. E. J., Brodrick, P. G., Asner, G. P., Boyd, D. S., Moura Costa, P., Fiddes, J., Foody, G. M., van der Heijden, G. M. F., Ledo, A., Lincoln, P. R., Margrove, J. A., Martin, R. E., Milne, S., Pinard, M., Reynolds, G., Snoep, M., Snoep, M., Tangki, H., ... Burslem, D. (2020). Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests. Science, 369(6505), 838-841. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay4490

Philipson, CD, Cutler, MEJ, Brodrick, PG, Asner, GP, Boyd, DS, Moura Costa, P, Fiddes, J, Foody, GM, van der Heijden, GMF, Ledo, A, Lincoln, PR, Margrove, JA, Martin, RE, Milne, S, Pinard, M, Reynolds, G, Snoep, M, Snoep, M, Tangki, H, Wai, YS, Wheeler, C & Burslem, D 2020, 'Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests', Science, vol. 369, no. 6505, pp. 838-841. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay4490

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title = "Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests",

abstract = "More than half of all tropical forests are degraded by human impacts, leaving them threatened with conversion to agricultural plantations and risking substantial biodiversity and carbon losses. Restoration could accelerate recovery of aboveground carbon density (ACD), but adoption of restoration is constrained by cost and uncertainties over effectiveness. We report a long-term comparison of ACD recovery rates between naturally regenerating and actively restored logged tropical forests. Restoration enhanced decadal ACD recovery by more than 50%, from 2.9 to 4.4 megagrams per hectare per year. This magnitude of response, coupled with modal values of restoration costs globally, would require higher carbon prices to justify investment in restoration. However, carbon prices required to fulfill the 2016 Paris climate agreement [$40 to $80 (USD) per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent] would provide an economic justification for tropical forest restoration.",

keywords = "ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS, ACCUMULATION, ALLOMETRIC MODELS, BORNEO, DANUM-VALLEY, LAND-USE, RAIN-FOREST, SABAH, STOCKS, TREE DIVERSITY",

author = "Philipson, {Christopher D.} and Cutler, {Mark E.J.} and Brodrick, {Philip G.} and Asner, {Gregory P.} and Boyd, {Doreen S.} and {Moura Costa}, Pedro and Joel Fiddes and Foody, {Giles M.} and {van der Heijden}, {Geertje M.F.} and Alicia Ledo and Lincoln, {Philippa R.} and Margrove, {James A.} and Martin, {Roberta E} and Sol Milne and Michelle Pinard and Glen Reynolds and Martijn Snoep and Martijn Snoep and Hamzah Tangki and Wai, {Yap Sau} and Charlotte Wheeler and David Burslem",

note = "Acknowledgements: We thank the Sabah Biodiversity Council and the Danum Valley Management Committee for permission to conduct this work. INFAPRO field data were obtained by research assistants at Yayasan Sabah{\textquoteright}s and Face the Future{\textquoteright}s joint large-scale forest rehabilitation project INFAPRO. We acknowledge the assistance and support from the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) and Sabah Forestry. We also acknowledge John Tay for assistance and advice for the original set-up of the project. We are grateful to Jake Alexander, Natalia Ocampo-Pe{\~n}uela, Elaine Watts and Jules Bailey from mosaic media for help with graphics and cartography. Comments from four anonymous reviewers and editors greatly improved previous versions of the manuscript. Funding: Field data were acquired for the EU funded INDFORSUS project (ER-BIC18T960102) to GMF and from projects funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (Ref. 50076) to MEJC and DFRPB and the DfID / NERC Programme {\textquoteleft}Understanding the impact of the current El Nino event{\textquoteright} (NE/P004806/1) to MEJC, DFRPB, DSB, GMF, GMFvdH. Airborne carbon mapping, processing and analysis were funded by the UN Development Programme GEF, Avatar Alliance Foundation, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Worldwide Fund for Nature, Morgan Family Foundation, and the Rainforest Trust to GA, GR.",

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AU - Cutler, Mark E.J.

AU - Brodrick, Philip G.

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AU - Boyd, Doreen S.

AU - Moura Costa, Pedro

AU - Fiddes, Joel

AU - Foody, Giles M.

AU - van der Heijden, Geertje M.F.

AU - Ledo, Alicia

AU - Lincoln, Philippa R.

AU - Margrove, James A.

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AU - Milne, Sol

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AU - Reynolds, Glen

AU - Snoep, Martijn

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AU - Wai, Yap Sau

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AU - Burslem, David

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N2 - More than half of all tropical forests are degraded by human impacts, leaving them threatened with conversion to agricultural plantations and risking substantial biodiversity and carbon losses. Restoration could accelerate recovery of aboveground carbon density (ACD), but adoption of restoration is constrained by cost and uncertainties over effectiveness. We report a long-term comparison of ACD recovery rates between naturally regenerating and actively restored logged tropical forests. Restoration enhanced decadal ACD recovery by more than 50%, from 2.9 to 4.4 megagrams per hectare per year. This magnitude of response, coupled with modal values of restoration costs globally, would require higher carbon prices to justify investment in restoration. However, carbon prices required to fulfill the 2016 Paris climate agreement [$40 to $80 (USD) per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent] would provide an economic justification for tropical forest restoration.

AB - More than half of all tropical forests are degraded by human impacts, leaving them threatened with conversion to agricultural plantations and risking substantial biodiversity and carbon losses. Restoration could accelerate recovery of aboveground carbon density (ACD), but adoption of restoration is constrained by cost and uncertainties over effectiveness. We report a long-term comparison of ACD recovery rates between naturally regenerating and actively restored logged tropical forests. Restoration enhanced decadal ACD recovery by more than 50%, from 2.9 to 4.4 megagrams per hectare per year. This magnitude of response, coupled with modal values of restoration costs globally, would require higher carbon prices to justify investment in restoration. However, carbon prices required to fulfill the 2016 Paris climate agreement [$40 to $80 (USD) per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent] would provide an economic justification for tropical forest restoration.

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Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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David Burslem

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Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human modified-tropical forests

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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David Burslem

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