Lower Carbon Stocks Research Articles

Effects of functional diversity on ecosystem services in cocoa agroforestry systems in Costa Rica

Cocoa agroforestry systems (AFS) provide multiple ecosystem services, which are influenced by features of the shade tree community. By strategically selecting and managing shade trees based on their functional traits, cocoa farmers can affect functional diversity of AFS and potentially enhance the benefits they deliver. In this research, we applied functional trait ecology to better understand the effect of functional diversity of cocoa AFS on three ecosystem services: carbon storage, soil fertility, and provisioning of cocoa and other products. To achieve this, we characterized 30 AFS across a gradient of ecological complexity and established relationships between functional diversityw indices and ecosystem services using ANOVA and multiple regression models. As a result, two contrasting ecological dynamics were observed: low-complexity AFS, dominated by resource-conservative traits (higher leaf dry matter content, higher stem specific density, and low leaf nitrogen concentration), were associated with lower carbon stocks and soil fertility, while high-complexity AFS, characterized by resource-acquisitive traits (low leaf dry matter content, low stem specific density, and high leaf nitrogen concentration), delivered greater ecosystem services. Through the multiple regression analysis, we found that AFS dominated by species with greater maximum potential height, greater leaf nitrogen concentration, lower leaf dry matter content, lower leaf mass per area, and lower leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio were associated with higher carbon storage (R2 = 0.84), soil fertility (R2 = 0.7 for soil nitrogen), and multiple ecosystem services (R2 = 0.78). Additionally, cocoa yields were negatively correlated with shade cover and the dominance of large-leaf shade trees, revealing a potential trade-off between maximizing yields and enhancing ecosystem services. Nevertheless, the models indicated that a win-win scenario can be achieved when shade trees are productive, generating additional benefits. Finally, our study highlights critical relationships between shade tree traits and delivery of key ecosystem services for farm sustainability and farmer livelihoods.

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions assessment: converting an early retirement coal-fired power plant to a biomass power plant

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions assessment: converting an early retirement coal-fired power plant to a biomass power plant

Woody species’ carbon sequestration and soil seed bank conservation potentials of traditional rangeland management strategies in Western Guji, Southern Ethiopia

Woody species’ carbon sequestration and soil seed bank conservation potentials of traditional rangeland management strategies in Western Guji, Southern Ethiopia

Changes in Wuhan’s Carbon Stocks and Their Spatial Distributions in 2050 under Multiple Projection Scenarios

Urbanization in the 21st century has reshaped carbon stock distributions through the expansion of cities. By using the PLUS and InVEST models, this study predicts land use and carbon stocks in Wuhan in 2050 using three future scenarios. Employing local Moran’s I, we analyze carbon stock clustering under these scenarios, and the Getis–Ord Gi* statistic identifies regions with significantly higher and lower carbon-stock changes between 2020 and 2050. The results reveal a 2.5 Tg decline in Wuhan’s carbon stock from 2000 to 2020, concentrated from the central to the outer city areas along the Yangtze River. By 2050, the ecological conservation scenario produced the highest carbon stock prediction, 77.48 Tg, while the economic development scenario produced the lowest, 76.4 Tg. High-carbon stock-change areas cluster in the north and south, contrasting with low-change area concentrations in the center. This research provides practical insights that support Wuhan’s sustainable development and carbon neutrality goals.

Potential for low-emissions oil palm production in Indonesia: insights from spatiotemporal dynamics

Rising global demand for palm oil has created environmental pressures related to deforestation, burning, and peat exploitation, which in turn drives increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions in oil palm (OP) production are known to vary spatially. However, temporal changes across contrasting management and soil types, are less well studied. This paper quantifies spatiotemporal GHG emissions across contrasting regions, management types, and soil types for the period 1990–2019 to assess the potential for reducing emission. The study focusses on Indonesia, as the biggest producer of OP, and in particular on the North Sumatra and Riau provinces, where OP is intensively produced. GHG inventories in 5 year time steps were constructed to investigate the change in drivers of emissions using spatial data, resampled to a 500 m grid. Total GHG emissions were found to have increased in both regions due to expanding OP production. However, results show a reduction in emissions flux from 1.98 to 1.15 Ton Ceq. ha−1yr−1 in North Sumatra and 9.63–2.67 Ton Ceq. ha−1yr−1 in Riau over the study period. This reduced flux was linked to the decreased deforestation and burning activities, together with increased biomass increment from lower carbon stock area conversion to OP. In both provinces, smallholder plantations emitted fewer emissions than industrial ones, and production on organic soils resulted in consistently higher emissions than on mineral soils. In North Sumatra, emissions under all management and soil types were found to decrease. In Riau, however, GHG emissions on organic soils regardless of management types, remained high. Our findings emphasise that potential for low-emissions OP production is attainable by reducing emissions per unit area through an improved understanding of GHG emissions spatiotemporal variability and their drivers. These contribute to reinforcing ongoing government regulations and guiding the industry towards low-emission OP productions.

Deforestation in Latin America in the 2000s predominantly occurred outside of typical mature forests

The role of tropical forests in the global carbon budget remains controversial, as carbon emissions from deforestation are highly uncertain. This high uncertainty arises from the use of either fixed forest carbon stock density or maps generated from satellite-based optical reflectance with limited sensitivity to biomass to generate accurate estimates of emissions from deforestation. New space missions aiming to accurately map the carbon stock density rely on direct measurements of the spatial structures of forests using lidar and radar. We found that lost forests are special cases, and their spatial structures can be directly measured by combining archived data acquired before and after deforestation by space missions principally aimed at measuring topography. Thus, using biomass mapping, we obtained new estimates of carbon loss from deforestation ahead of forthcoming space missions. Here, using a high-resolution map of forest loss and the synergy of radar and lidar to estimate the aboveground biomass density of forests, we found that deforestation in the 2000s in Latin America, one of the severely deforested regions, mainly occurred in forests with a significantly lower carbon stock density than typical mature forests. Deforestation areas with carbon stock densities lower than 20.0, 50.0, and 100.0 Mg C/ha accounted for 42.1%, 62.0%, and 83.3% of the entire deforested area, respectively. The average carbon stock density of lost forests was only 49.13 Mg C/ha, which challenges the current knowledge on the carbon stock density of lost forests (with a default value 100 Mg C/ha according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier 1 estimates, or approximately 112 Mg C/ha used in other studies). This is demonstrated over both the entire region and the footprints of the spaceborne lidar. Consequently, our estimate of carbon loss from deforestation in Latin America in the 2000s was 253.0± 21.5 Tg C/year, which was considerably less than existing remote-sensing-based estimates, namely 400-600 Tg C/year. This indicates that forests in Latin America were most likely not a net carbon source in the 2000s compared to established carbon sinks. In previous studies, considerable effort has been devoted to rectify the underestimation of carbon sinks; thus, the overestimation of carbon emissions should be given sufficient consideration in global carbon budgets. Our results also provide solid evidence for the necessity of renewing knowledge on the role of tropical forests in the global carbon budget in the future using observations from new space missions.

Conversion of Marginalized Tea Lands into Timber Plantations and its Impact on Soil Organic Carbon Content: A Case Study in Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Tea (Camellia sinensis) plantations can be in production for about 100 years under well-managed conditions. However, soil degradation makes the tea lands marginalized and uneconomical. Land use conversion is an option for marginalized tea lands that could gain numerous environmental and economic benefits. This study estimated and compared the soil organic carbon stocks (SOC) in the surface soil layer (0–30 cm) of marginalized tea lands against those converted to timber plantations in the Badulla and Nuwaraeliya districts. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from the top layer (0-30 cm) of the selected sites of marginalized tea lands and those converted to timber plantations for analysis. Organic matter percentage in the site-level dry soil samples was analysed using the loss on ignition method. The final carbon stocks (t C ha-1) for samples from both land use types were then estimated using the SOC percentages and bulk density estimates. The carbon stocks for the soil samples collected at marginalized tea lands and the marginalized tea lands converted to timber plantations were then statistically analysed (descriptive statistics, normality tests and two-sample t-tests) using Minitab 21.2 software. The pH of marginal tea lands (5.34±0.14) and the marginal tea lands converted to timber plantations (5.20±0.13) was slightly acidic in nature. The bulk density estimates of marginalized tea lands and marginalized tea lands converted to timber plantations were very close and estimated as 1.15±0.02. The statistical analysis showed that overall mean SOC was significantly higher under the marginalized tea lands converted to timber plantations (155.3±10.0 t C ha-1) compared to the marginalized tea lands (126.7±5.8 t C ha-1). Land use conversion has increased the SOC stocks gradually after forest establishment. The increased carbon stocks could be attributed to consistent addition of litter layer on the soil, less soil disturbance, and retarded soil erosion contributing to the buildup of soil organic matter and SOC. On the other hand, low carbon stocks in the marginalized tea land could be attributed to unsustainable agronomical practices. Our findings suggest that converting marginalized tea lands in central highlands into timber plantations could enhance the sequestration of atmospheric CO2, significantly contributing to climate change mitigation.
 Keywords: Soil organic carbon, Land use change, Climate change, Tea plantations

Region‐specific drivers cause low organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates in the saltmarsh soils of southern Scandinavia

AbstractSaltmarshes are known for their ability to act as effective sinks of organic carbon (OC) and their protection and restoration could potentially slow down the pace of global warming. However, regional estimates of saltmarsh OC storage are often missing, including for the Nordic region. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed OC storage and accumulation rates in 17 saltmarshes distributed along the Danish coasts and investigated the main drivers of soil OC storage. Danish saltmarshes store a median of 10 kg OC m−2 (interquartile range, IQR: 13.5–7.6) in the top meter and sequester 31.5 g OC m−2 yr−1 (IQR: 41.6–15.7). In a global context, these values are comparatively low. Soils with abundant clay (> 20%), older and stable saltmarshes in mesohaline settings, and with low proportion of algal organic material showed higher OC densities, stocks, and accumulation rates. Grazing led to significantly higher OC stocks than neighboring ungrazed locations, likely due to trampling modifying soil abiotic conditions (higher erosion‐resistance and higher clay content) that slow carbon decay. Scaling up, Danish saltmarsh soils, comprising about 1% of the country's area, have the potential to yearly capture up to 0.1% of Denmark's annual consumption‐based CO2 emissions. Our research expands the baseline data needed to advance blue carbon research and management in the Nordic region while highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to saltmarsh management that considers the full range of services of these ecosystems and does not only focus on climate benefits.

Sediment carbon storage differs in native and non-native Caribbean seagrass beds

Non-native species are expanding globally and can alter ecosystem functions, including food web dynamics, community structure and carbon storage. Seagrass are foundation species that contribute a variety of ecosystem services in near-shore coastal ecosystems, including a significant sink of carbon. In the Caribbean, the rapidly expanding non-native Halophila stipulacea has unknown impacts on carbon storage. To investigate the impacts on carbon storage, we quantified organic carbon (Corg) content in sediment and seagrass tissues from monotypic H. stipulacea beds, mixed native seagrass beds dominated by Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme, and unvegetated substrate in St. John, USVI. We found native seagrass-vegetated sediment contained 1.3 times more Corg than sediment covered by H. stipulacea, and 1.6 times more Corg than unvegetated areas on average. Whereas, H. stipulacea-dominated substrate stored 1.2 times more Corg than unvegetated substrate. Likewise, native species contained 2.2 times more aboveground biomass and 6.0 times more belowground biomass than H. stipulacea. Since seagrasses are critical sources of carbon sequestration, our results suggest that invading H. stipulacea is associated with lower carbon stocks which has potential implications for conservation activities and climate change mitigation.

THE SOIL CARBON STOCK IN THE TOURISM AREA OF GILI TRAWANGAN

This study aims to determine the distribution of carbon stocks in various land uses and total carbon stocks in the tourism area of ​​Gili Trawangan. This research was conducted in the Gili Trawangan area, Physics and Soil Conservation Laboratory, and Soil Chemistry and Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram, in June-October 2022. The method used in this study was a descriptive method with a survey technique. The descriptive method can start with data collection, analysis and interpretation. Carbon in the soil in this study was obtained from the results of C-organic laboratory analysis (Walcky and Black) supported by measurements of soil unit weight (BV), soil porosity and soil texture. Meanwhile, aboveground carbon stocks were obtained through direct sampling in the field by measuring tree biomass. The results showed that the total carbon stocks in various land uses have different carbon stocks. The mixed garden had the highest carbon stock of 840.27 ton.ha-1, forest land of 83.76 ton.ha-1, and shrubs of 15.76 ton.ha-1, and the lowest carbon stock was a settlement of 3.01 ton. ha-1. Overall, carbon stocks in the tourist area of ​​Gili Trawangan are 942.8 ton.ha-1.

Blue Carbon in Mangroves of the Arid Zones of San Ignacio and El Dátil Lagoons, El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Baja California, Mexico

Estimation of carbon (C) stocks revealed a very high carbon sequestration potential of mangroves, which play a major role in the global C cycle. The C stored in the biomass of live trees can be estimated from above- and below-ground measurements, i.e., tree diameter and height, leaf litter, root biomass, necromass, and soil. The allocation of biomass and C in the scrub mangrove forest is influenced by various factors, including low structural development. The objective of this study was to estimate the carbon stock (in relation to biomass) and storage in the soil of the San Ignacio and El Dátil lagoons in an arid region of the north Pacific. Above-ground biomass (AGB) was estimated based on mangrove structure and leaf litter; below-ground biomass (BGB) was measured by extracting root cores (45 cm depth) and soil (1.2 m depth). Biomass values were converted to carbon with allometric equations. We found an inverse relationship between BGB content (roots) and above-ground structural development, with a mean total biomass (AGB + BGB) of 101.7 MgC ha−1. Below-ground carbon content (roots, necromass, and soil) was 2.8 times higher than above-ground carbon content (trees and litter). Control sites (devoid of vegetation) adjacent to the mangrove have recorded low carbon stocks of 7.3 MgC ha−1, which supports the recommendations for conserving and restoring degraded areas. The present study contributes valuable information on carbon related to mangrove biomass and stored in the soil of arid mangrove areas of northwestern Mexico.

Estimating the Trade-Offs between Wildfires and Carbon Stocks across Landscape Types to Inform Nature-Based Solutions in Mediterranean Regions

Climate and land-use changes have been contributing to the increase in the occurrence of extreme wildfires, shifting fire regimes and driving desertification, particularly in Mediterranean-climate regions. However, few studies have researched the influence of land use/cover on fire regimes and carbon storage at the broad national scale. To address this gap, we used spatially explicit data from annual burned areas in mainland Portugal to build a typology of fire regimes based on the accumulated burned area and its temporal concentration (Gini Index) between 1984 and 2019. This typology was then combined with carbon stock data and different landscapes to explore relationships between landscape types and two important ecosystem services: wildfire reduction and carbon stock. Multivariate analyses were performed on these data and the results revealed a strong relationship between landscapes dominated by maritime pine and eucalypt plantations and highly hazardous fire regimes, which in turn hold the highest carbon stocks. Shrubland and mixed landscapes were associated with low carbon stocks and less hazardous fire regimes. Specialized agricultural landscapes, as well as mixed native forests and mixed agroforestry landscapes, were the least associated with wildfires. In the case of agricultural landscapes, however, this good wildfire performance is achieved at the cost of the poorest carbon stock, whereas native forests and agroforestry landscapes strike the best trade-off between carbon stock and fire regime. Our findings support how nature-based solutions promoting wildfire mitigation and carbon stock ecosystem services may prevent and revert land degradation harming Mediterranean regions.

Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and decarbonization of oil refineries with a national energy system model of Colombia

Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and decarbonization of oil refineries with a national energy system model of Colombia

Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Post-Agriculture Secondary Forest in Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia

Vegetations in post-agriculture forests (PAF) have the potential to absorb carbon dioxide and store it in to the form of biomass. However, information on carbon stocks in post-agriculture secondary forest in Papua, Indonesia still needs to be available. This study aimed to analyze the density of vegetation and its relationship to the carbon stock of aboveground vegetation biomass on PAF in the lowland of Manokwari, West Papua. This study was conducted on PAF aged 4 and 7 years using a one-factor, completely randomized design. Carbon stock is calculated using an allometric equation based on a diameter at breast height of 1.30 m (dbh ≥5cm). The results showed that 60% of the relative density of trees on the two PAF’s was composed by Premna odorata, Piper aduncum, and Macaranga tanarius. Carbon stocks on PAF aged 4 and 7 years reach 550 kg/ha and 140 kg/ha respectively. There is an increase in aboveground biomass and carbon stock with relative tree density and, tree diameter, which is significantly affected by the age of the PAF (P<0,002). The low carbon stock on PAF aged four years indicates that there has been a significant decrease in soil fertility after several years of cultivation by the local Papuan community. Therefore, there must be a difference in land use management between natural secondary forest and post-agriculture forest.

Carbon sink and greenhouse gas emission of dryland vegetation cover in tourism villages in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract. Lestari F, Tua IN, Muzanni A, Nugroho DF, Wibowo AA, Wartono T, Widanarko B, Saepullah A, Modjo R, Farida M, Erwandi D, Aryani DD, Kadir A, Widiatmoko AI, Hendra, Herwanto ZJ, Tejamaya M, Hamid RA, Fatmah, Gunawan EL, Setyowati DL, Hafids MF, Yuliani R. 2023. Carbon sink and greenhouse gas emission of dryland vegetation cover in tourism villages in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 1998-2005. Due to its natural features and scenery, the dryland ecosystem has recently become a tourist destination. One of the growing dryland ecosystems for village tourism is Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Those tourism villages have the potential to promote carbon sequestration through the preservation of natural resources and, at the same time, can release Green-House Gases (GHG). Despite growing research on carbon stock, there is little information on the carbon budget of a dryland tourism village, which includes the values of carbon stock sequestered from the atmosphere and greenhouse gas emissions. This research aimed to measure the carbon stock and GHG emissions in three villages containing paddy fields, savanna, and forest covers. The measured gases, including CO2, CH4, and N2O, were collected using the gas chamber method and analyzed using gas chromatography. The result shows that forest land covers have the highest carbon stock, with average values of 97.44 Mg ha-1 within the 57.34-117.5 Mg ha-1. A low average carbon stock of 17.39 Mg ha-1 was observed in paddy fields. The GHG was in the order of CO2 > CH4 > N2O. The paddy field has higher GHG than other land covers, with average CO2, CH4, and N2O values of 292.45 ppm, 1.35 ppm, and 1.09 ppm. While CO2, CH4, and N2O values for the forest were 281.05 ppm, 1.30 ppm, 1.05 ppm, 272.83 ppm, 1.26 ppm, and 1.02 ppm for savanna covers.

Maximizing blue carbon stocks through saltmarsh restoration

Political discourse around coastal wetland restoration and blue carbon management strategies has increased in the past decade, yet carbon storage has neither been a reason for restoration, nor a criterion to measure the success of current saltmarsh restoration schemes in the UK. To maximise climate change mitigation through saltmarsh restoration, knowledge on the key drivers of carbon stock variability is required. We use restored saltmarshes of similar age, paired with adjacent natural marshes as references, to identify drivers of carbon stocks following managed realignment within an estuary in southeastern England. From surficial soil cores (top 30 cm), we measured carbon stock alongside environmental characteristics. Carbon stock between natural and restored sites were similar after ~ 30 years when restored sites were above mean high water neap (MHWN) tidal levels. Elevated marsh platforms likely provide suitable conditions for the development of mature plant communities associated with greater capture and production of organic carbon. The restored site at Tollesbury (Essex, UK) had a 2-fold lower carbon stock than other restored sites in the estuary. We attribute this to the site’s low position in the tidal frame, below MHWN tidal levels, coupled with low sediment supply and the dominance of pioneer plant communities. As blue carbon is anticipated to become an important facet of saltmarsh restoration, we recommend that sites above MHWN tidal levels are selected for managed realignment or that preference is given to coastlines with a high sediment supply that may rapidly elevate realignment sites above MHWN. Alternatively, elevation could be artificially raised prior to realignment. Restoration schemes aiming to maximise climate change mitigation should also encourage the establishment of key plant species (e.g., Atriplex portulacoides in our study) to enhance carbon stocks. However, the overall goal of restoration ought to be carefully considered as trade-offs in ecosystem services may ensue if restoration for climate change mitigation alone is pursued.

Connectedness between low carbon portfolios, economy and finance: the role of pandemic crisis and Ukrainian war

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to study the connections generated between stock market indices, representing firms whose practices focus on fighting climate change and several global risk factors in accordance with the sustainability objectives defined in the 2030 Agenda. An endogenous perspective is adopted, considering the spillovers generated within the low carbon stock market sector, as well as the latter’s exposure to exogenous shocks of an economic and financial nature.Design/methodology/approachThis work uses a multivariate model of dynamic correlation (GARCH-corrected dynamic conditional correlation [cDCC]), which can accompany the correlations generated over time.FindingsConsidering five low carbon indices, representing various parts of the world, and four global macro-economic and financial variables, over a period of approximately eight years, it was possible to understand that the variables studied transmit between each other a statistically significant spillover. The period of the pandemic crisis shows a sharp increase in the information transmission process. It was also possible to conclude that some global variables are risk factors, performing the role of transmission channels for the spillover effects to low carbon indices, increasing the risk of contagion and reducing the possibilities of diversifying the investment portfolio.Originality/valueFirstly, this work analyses the connection and spillover effects between low carbon indices. Secondly, considers an extended sample covering different market phases, particularly that of the pandemic crisis and the Ukrainian War, creating conditions to compare connection patterns between those indices. Thirdly, it studies the variable influence over time of global risk factors in the transmission of spillover between low carbon indices.

Tree Species Composition and Diversity in Fire-Affected Areas of Miombo Woodlands, Central Mozambique

Fire strongly impacts the composition and structure of ecosystems, with consequences yet to be understood. We used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to map fire frequency and fire intensity and investigate their effects on miombo woodlands (MW) of central Mozambique. Tree species diversity was evaluated and compared using rarefaction curves. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination was used to identify patterns of species composition occurrence. The indicator value index method was applied to verify the occurrence of fire indicator species. In general, tree communities responded differently to varied fire regimes. We found low tree density in Intermediate fire frequency and intensity (IfIi) (180 trees ha−1) and High-frequency and Low intensity (HfLi) (316 trees ha−1) areas. The IfIi fire regime had the lowest carbon stocks (9.1 Mg ha−1), when compared to the rest of fire regimes. The species diversity decreased as fire intensity increased. IfIi areas had the maximum species diversity. The NMDS showed a varied species composition according to fire regime. We found a strong relationship between the species diversity and composition, and the pattern of fire occurrence in each fire regime. Our results are critical in supporting fire management policies and understanding fire regimes and their effects on miombo trees’ structure and composition.

Relationships between land-use intensity, woody species diversity, and carbon storage in an arid woodland ecosystem

Relationships between land-use intensity, woody species diversity, and carbon storage in an arid woodland ecosystem

Invasive alien acacias rapidly stock carbon, but threaten biodiversity recovery in young second-growth forests.

Under the UN-Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and Bonn Challenge, second-growth forest is promoted as a global solution to climate change, degradation and associated losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Second growth is often invaded by alien tree species and understanding how this impacts carbon stock and biodiversity recovery is key for restoration planning. We assessed carbon stock and tree diversity recovery in second growth invaded by two Acacia species and non-invaded second growth, with associated edge effects, in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Carbon stock recovery in non-invaded forests was threefold lower than in invaded forests. Increasingly isolated, fragmented and deforested areas had low carbon stocks when non-invaded, whereas the opposite was true when invaded. Non-invaded forests recovered threefold to sixfold higher taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity than invaded forest. Higher species turnover and lower nestedness in non-invaded than invaded forests underpinned higher abundance of threatened and endemic species in non-invaded forest. Non-invaded forests presented positive relationships between carbon and biodiversity, whereas in the invaded forests we did not detect any relationship, indicating that more carbon does not equal more biodiversity in landscapes with high vulnerability to invasive acacias. To deliver on combined climate change and biodiversity goals, restoration planning and management must consider biological invasion risk. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.