Nature-based carbon reduction (Nature-based solutions)

Nature-based carbon reduction, often called nature-based solutions (NbS) for carbon, encompasses actions that use natural or sustainably managed ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and avoid its release, while delivering co-benefits for biodiversity and local communities. It covers the conservation, restoration and improved management of forests, wetlands, agricultural soils, grasslands and oceans, and it sits within the broader family of nature-based solutions.

Main categories

• Protection: avoiding emissions and the loss of stored carbon, for example by halting tropical deforestation (REDD+).
• Restoration: reforesting degraded land and restoring mangroves and seagrass meadows, a source of blue carbon.
• Improved management: regenerative agriculture, silvopasture and sustainable forest management that increase carbon stored in carbon sinks.

Mitigation potential

The landmark study Natural Climate Solutions (Griscom et al., 2017, published in PNAS and led by researchers at The Nature Conservancy) estimated that natural climate solutions could deliver around 11.3 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent per year of cost-effective mitigation up to 2030, roughly a third of the reductions needed for a likely chance of holding warming below 2 degrees Celsius. This potential is significant but cannot replace deep cuts in fossil-fuel emissions.

Frameworks and standards

• Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Gold Standard methodologies for land-use (AFOLU) projects.
• IPCC guidance, including the 2019 Refinement, for accounting soil and biomass carbon.

Co-benefits

• Climate adaptation: flood control and coastal resilience.
• Habitat and species conservation, protecting natural capital.
• Improved rural livelihoods and water quality.

Challenges and safeguards

• Permanence: stored carbon can be lost through fire, disease or future land-use change.
• Leakage: protecting one area can simply displace deforestation elsewhere.
• Rights: projects must respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, with free, prior and informed consent.

Financing

• Voluntary carbon markets through carbon credits and multilateral climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund.
• Green bonds and results-based payment mechanisms.

Used with integrity, nature-based carbon reduction is a valuable complement to industrial decarbonisation and a component of credible net-zero strategies, provided projects are backed by robust measurement and safeguards. At Manglai we help companies measure their carbon footprint and design science-based climate plans. Discover how Manglai can help you.