Conservation of carbon resources and values on public lands: A case study from the National Wildlife Refuge System
| Autor: | Zhiliang Zhu, Beth Middleton, Emily Pindilli, Darren Johnson, Kurt Johnson, Scott Covington |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Carbon Sequestration
Conservation of Natural Resources Topography Environmental Engineering Science Climate Change Marine and Aquatic Sciences Animals Wild Wildlife Forests Ecosystems Animals Ecosystem Conservation Science Landforms Multidisciplinary Ecology Ecology and Environmental Sciences Organisms Chemical Compounds Biology and Life Sciences Aquatic Environments Eukaryota Geomorphology Carbon Dioxide Terrestrial Environments Carbon United States Habitats Chemistry Wetlands Physical Sciences Earth Sciences Medicine Engineering and Technology Zoology Research Article Freshwater Environments |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 17, Iss 1 (2022) PLoS ONE, Vol 17, Iss 1, p e0262218 (2022) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | Public lands in the United States are those land areas managed by federal, state, and county governments for public purposes such as preservation and recreation. Protecting carbon resources and increasing carbon sequestration capacity are compatible with public land management objectives for healthy and resilient habitats, i.e., managing habitats for the benefit of wildlife and ecosystem services can simultaneously capture and store carbon. To evaluate the effect of public land management on carbon storage and review carbon management as part of the land management objectives, we used existing data of carbon stock and net ecosystem carbon balance in a study of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), a public land management program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Total carbon storage of the 364 refuges studied was 16.6 PgC, with a mean value 42,981 gCm-2. We used mixed modeling with Bonferroni adjustment techniques to analyze the effect of time since refuge designation on carbon storage. In general, older refuges store more carbon per unit area than younger refuges. In addition to the age factor, carbon resources are variable by regions and habitat types protected in the refuges. Mean carbon stock and the rate of sequestration are higher within refuges than outside refuges, but the statistical comparison of 364 refuges analyzed in this study was not significant. We also used the social cost of carbon to analyze the annual benefits of sequestrating carbon in these publicly managed lands in the United States, which is over $976 million per year in avoided CO2 emissions via specific conservation management actions. We examine case studies of management, particularly with respect to Service cooperation activities with The Conservation Fund (TCF) Go Zero® Program, Trust for Public Land (TPL) and individuals. Additional opportunities exist in improving techniques to maximize carbon resources in refuges, while continuing to meet the core purpose and need of the NWRS. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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