Intact Ecosystems

Nature-based climate solutions harness the power of ecological processes, including the water and nutrient cycles, to sequester carbon underground. This ecologically- based approach includes conservation, restoration and smart management of forests, grasslands and wetlands, and has the potential to deliver up to 37% of emission reductions needed by 2030. Natural climate solutions are a win-win proposition, delivering wider ecological and social benefits. Yet they have so far attracted only 2.5% of climate mitigation funding, and far too little political attention.

Northern boreal forests, coastal temperate rainforests, peatland and tundra ecosystems are some of the world’s largest stores of terrestrial carbon. Keeping these landscapes intact and resilient is an important strategy to address climate change. Importantly, the richest carbon stores in the North significantly overlap with the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples, making it imperative to uphold Indigenous rights to lands and resources, and respect Indigenous governance and knowledge systems in climate-change policy.