Carbon Parks: A New Conservation Tool to Protect Peatlands
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Date
2020-04-22
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Abstract
Peatland ecosystems are the most effective long-term terrestrial carbon sinks on Earth. They accumulate large quantities of carbon over thousands of years in the form of thick organic-rich soils. However, there are no policies enacted to ensure their protection. Today, these soils contain about the equivalent of 1/3 of the quantity of carbon dioxide (CO2) that’s in the atmosphere. If this carbon, which is locked away in these soils, were to get back to the atmosphere, it could dramatically accelerate ongoing climate warming. There are two main ways this can happen: (1) climate change, and (2) land management. To reduce these risks and help mitigate climate change, natural carbon sinks such as peatlands could be protected. International protection mechanisms would limit anthropogenic activities that destroy peatlands. Currently, however, such protection status is typically given to (a) unique landscapes (e.g., Yellowstone), and (b) ecosystems that are needed to maintain a species that is rare or threatened of extinction.
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carbon, peatlands, national park, peat, climate change, conservation