Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands – a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change – may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according to new research.
Removing sheep and other livestock entirely from upland grasslands – a strategy often promoted as a way to boost carbon storage and tackle climate change – may actually reduce the most stable forms of soil carbon, according to new research.
The study, involving a leading soil scientist from Lancaster University and led by the University of Manchester, suggests that while removing livestock from upland grasslands can increase fast-cycling carbon stored in plants and dead vegetation, it can also lead to losses of a more stable form of soil carbon. This long-lived carbon, known as mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC), is bound to soil minerals and can persist for decades to centuries, making it critical for long-term climate mitigation.
Professor Richard Bardgett, Chair of Ecology at Lancaster University, who initiated the study, said: “Our results suggest that maintaining low-intensity grazing in upland grasslands, which cover large areas in the United Kingdom, is important for protecting the most stable forms of soil carbon.”
Grasslands store around one-third of the world’s terrestrial carbon, with the vast majority being found in soils. As governments pursue net-zero targets, removing livestock from historically grazed grasslands has increasingly been proposed as a scalable climate solution.
Read More: Lancaster University
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