New Pantropical Carbon Database Improves UN Reporting on Forest Degradation and Regeneration
bioengineer.orgA new meta-analysis published in Bioengineer.org compiles data from 146 studies since 1988 to create a global pantropical carbon database. The research, led by scientists at GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences and the University of Cambridge, quantifies carbon losses from forest degradation and recovery rates in tropical moist forests. It finds that degradation from fires, selective logging, and edge effects causes significant carbon losses often missing from national inventories, while degraded forests recover carbon much faster than fully cleared land. The database is designed to support UNFCCC reporting and REDD+ programs by providing more accurate baselines for forest carbon accounting. Key findings include that forest fires cause immediate above-ground carbon declines averaging 49%, selective logging around 34%, and edge effects about 31%. Twenty years after disturbance, degraded forests accumulate 41% to 117% more above-ground carbon than fully cleared secondary forests. This data helps close a gap in carbon accounting that has historically focused on deforestation while underestimating degradation. The study compiles 146 individual studies since 1988 into a harmonized framework, making it easier for national governments and climate negotiators to include degradation and regeneration in their emissions reporting.