Introduction
The rainforests of the Congo Basin are the planet’s largest forested carbon sink, covering 3.3 million square kilometers of trees in Central Africa. These forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into leaves, bark, and branches, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
However, a recently published study in Nature Communications presents a surprising suggestion: that the most effective way to store more carbon in Congo Basin rainforests may be to cut down some of its trees. The study found that selectively managed logging areas make up about 57% of the net carbon removals in the Congo Basin.
Methods and Results
The authors of the study used a machine-learning program that combined land-cover data, captured between 1990 and 2020, with aboveground carbon levels estimated from other studies via lidar, which creates complex 3D landscape scans using lasers.
The results show that selectively managed logging areas can provide benefits to both the planet and local communities if sustainable logging is permitted. The lead researcher, Le Bienfaiteur Sagang, asks if logging, or any other sustainable use of those forests, is only bad for the environment.
Implications and Conclusions
Selective logging can be a way to use the forests, give them more value, provide jobs for local communities, and still contribute to climate change mitigation. However, it is crucial to ensure that logging is done in a sustainable and responsible manner to avoid environmental damage.
In summary, the study suggests that selective logging can be a useful tool for storing more carbon in Congo Basin rainforests, as long as it is done in a sustainable and responsible way.
References
Source: Mongabay