Degradation and forgone removals increase the carbon impact of intact forest loss by 626.

摘要: Intact tropical forests, free from substantial anthropogenic influence, store and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon but are currently neglected in international climate policy. We show that between 2000 2013, direct clearance intact forest areas accounted for 3.2% gross emissions all deforestation across the pantropics. However, full accounting requires consideration forgone sequestration, selective logging, edge effects, defaunation. When these factors were considered, net impact resulting loss 2013 increased by a factor 6 (626%), 0.34 (0.37 to 0.21) 2.12 (2.85 1.00) petagrams (equivalent approximately 2 years global land use change emissions). The mitigation value conserving 549 million ha remains is therefore significant will soon dwindle if their rate continues accelerate.