The Circle of Life: How Wildlife Could Be the Key to Fighting Climate Change

Wildlife and climate change are more intrinsically linked than some may think. Much of the day-to-day information fed to us about the changes in our climate, as well as the impact it has on the physical features of the world, takes up the vast majority of the climate narratives.

Traditionally, most efforts have been centred around rehabilitating damaged habitats to previous conditions and safeguarding unaffected landscapes by preserving their existence for generations to come.

Needless to say, protecting habitats and landscapes is essential; however, if those precious spaces are to be protected effectively, ensuring wildlife conservation is key to achieving this.

According to Oswald J. Schmitz and Magnus Sylvé, ‘wildlife species provide natural climate solutions by controlling ecosystem carbon cycling in two general ways. They can help (1) protect existing carbon stores to avoid emissions and (2) enhance the capacity of ecosystems to capture and store carbon.’

Important species such as salmon, for example, which migrate from birthing areas in freshwaters to the ocean and then return, are a key example of transporting nutrients and carbon from the sea to their natural habitat.

The connection between the two is therefore undeniable.

According to Bennett EL and Robinson JG, defaunation — the loss of animals — has greatly impacted the amount of carbon being taken from the Earth’s atmosphere, directly affecting their ecosystems. More specifically, hunters often target species whose activities directly affect forest structure.

African elephant browsing, for instance, tends to reduce the density of tree stems in a forest. The resulting changes in competition for light, water, and space among trees favour the emergence of fewer, larger trees with increased average stem diameter and above-ground biomass, and, hence, greater carbon stock. The animals inhabiting these precious ecosystems must be protected at all costs, to preserve and keep in check the world’s carbon cycle.

Towards the end of 2021, coinciding with the climate talks in Glasgow, Tusk Trustee Dr Susan Canney wrote a blog about the interconnectedness of wildlife conservation and climate change.

Like Bennett and Robinson, Dr Canney highlights how large animals can profoundly impact vegetation and other species. By disturbing vegetation and soil, they can create microhabitats that allow new species to establish themselves, facilitating landscape-scale resilience and adaptability in the face of change. Their impacts on vegetation include the fire regime, soil fertility, and the sequestration of carbon in soils.

Ultimately, the role that wildlife plays in our wider ecosystems is truly remarkable. We can no longer ignore the obvious matter that nature is all interconnected, and with this, so should the solutions.

As a global community, we should not hesitate to step up and invoke wildlife conservation-based solutions to solve the current environmental issues we are all facing. The climate safeguarding system works, and we need to ensure it’s protected.