Biodiverse Forests Boost Carbon Capture Faster, Study Warns of Future Decline

A new study published in Nature Climate Change examined twenty years of satellite-derived photosynthesis measurements alongside a detailed map of tree species richness worldwide. The analysis revealed that forests with higher species counts consistently show greater photosynthetic rates and accelerate these gains over time, especially in tropical ecosystems where light capture is optimized by diverse canopies. The researchers attribute the pattern to an amplified CO2 fertilisation effect in species-rich forests.

Modeling indicates that if biodiversity continues to erode, the upward trend in forest photosynthesis could slow by 3-17% by 2050, equating to a cumulative loss of 4.4-35.7 petagrams of carbon. This slowdown would diminish forests' role as natural carbon sinks, complicating climate mitigation efforts. The findings underscore the functional importance of preserving species-rich forests beyond their intrinsic ecological value.