Felton, Adam
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2012Peer reviewedOpen access
Avoiding bio-perversity from carbon sequestration solutions
Lindenmayer, David B; Hulvey, Kristin B.; Hobbs, Richard J.; Colyvan, Mark; Felton, Adam; Possingham, Hugh; Steffen, Will; Wilson, Kerrie; Youngentob, Kara; Gibbons, Philip
Abstract
The development of a new carbon economy has the potential to offer winwin outcomes for environments and economies. Large-scale tree plantations are expected to play a major role in carbon economies but could have negative ecological and economic consequences when key environmental values such as biodiversity conservation are not considered. We discuss three potential bio-perversitiesnegative outcomes for biodiversitythat could result from inappropriate plantation tree programs aimed solely at reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigating rapid climate change effects. These are: (1) clearing native vegetation to establish tree plantations, (2) planting trees that become invasive taxa, and (3) tree plantations negatively affecting key ecosystem processes such as fire and hydrological regimes. These bio-perversities may result from common mistakes in environmental management: (1) too narrow a focus on a single environmental value, (2) failing to adequately quantify ecological uncertainty, and (3) failing to anticipate how different groups of people respond to an environmental problem. We highlight ways to prevent possible bio-perverse outcomes in large-scale plantation programs. These include requiring that risk assessments precede project establishment, full carbon accounting is undertaken, incentives used to stimulate tree plantation establishment are rigorously examined, and rigorous compliance and ecological monitoring is undertaken.
Keywords
Altered ecosystem processes; biodiversity; bio-perversity; carbon economy; invasive tree species; land clearing; large-scale tree plantations
Published in
Conservation Letters
2012, volume: 5, number: 1, pages: 28-36
Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL
SLU Authors
Global goals (SDG)
SDG12 Responsible consumption and production
SDG13 Climate action
SDG15 Life on land
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation
Renewable Bioenergy Research
Bioenergy
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00213.x
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/56304