Mexico-Sized Forest’s Carbon Storage Potential Revealed

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The World’s Largest Mammal Migration

It’s been dubbed the world’s biggest mammal migration; from October to December, up to straw-colored fruit bats migrate from various regions across Africa, converging over a swamp forest in Kasanka National Park, located in the heart of Zambia’s Miombo woodland. These bats leave in January, many returning to other locations within the vast dry Miombo forest that surrounds the park, which provides them with year-round habitat and a plentiful supply of fruit.

Understanding the Miombo Forest

Stretching from the northern tips of Tanzania to coastal Angola in the west and down to southern Mozambique, the Miombo forest covers an impressive 734,000 square miles—an area comparable to the size of Mexico. This expansive forest is vital, providing livelihoods and essential resources for millions, while also sustaining much of Africa’s iconic megafauna, including some of the continent’s largest remaining species.

Decline and Restoration of the Miombo Forest

Despite its ecological significance, the Miombo forest has experienced a decline in forest cover between 1980 and 2020. However, recent research has illuminated its remarkable ability to store carbon, suggesting that restoring this woodland may hold greater economic value than previously thought. A groundbreaking study published in July 2024 has revealed that the Miombo may be sequestering more than twice the amount of aboveground carbon than earlier estimates indicated.

New Research Findings

This new research equates to an additional 3.7 billion metric tons of carbon stored across the entire forest—more than previously believed. Professor Mathias Disney from University College London, who co-authored the study, emphasizes that the oversimplified relationship between trunk diameter and tree mass (of which carbon constitutes a fixed proportion) used in earlier estimates has limited our understanding of carbon storage in forests worldwide.

Advanced Technology in Carbon Measurement

The recent study utilized advanced technology to predict the aboveground biomass in the Miombo forest through a method known as lidar (light detection and ranging). Similar to how sonar uses sound pulses and radar employs radio waves, lidar creates a 3D map by firing thousands of laser pulses per second at an object and recording the reflected signals. The research team deployed this imaging technique from the ground, drones, and helicopters over a 500-square-kilometer area of the forest in Mozambique.

Importance of Accurate Carbon Measurement

By employing this innovative method, the team constructed the most accurate 3D representation of the Miombo woodland to date, allowing them to extrapolate and estimate the total amount of carbon locked up across the entire forest. Accurately gauging this figure is crucial, especially considering Article 6 of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which states that countries earn “carbon credits” based on their performance relative to emissions targets. Countries that exceed their targets can sell excess carbon credits to companies seeking to offset their emissions or to countries that fall short, enabling them to meet their goals.

Conclusion: The Future of the Miombo Forest

In terms of the Miombo forest, while “nothing has actually changed on the ground,” the revelation that the carbon storage capacity has doubled significantly enhances the forest’s conservation value. This new understanding underscores the importance of protecting and restoring this vital ecosystem, not only for its biodiversity but also for its role in combating climate change.

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