Natural solutions : protected areas helping people cope with climate change : summary
2010
Dudley, Nigel |
Stolton, Sue |
Belokurov, Alexander |
Krueger, Linda |
Lopoukhine, N. |
MacKinnon, Kathy |
Sandwith, Trevor |
Sekhran, Nikhil |
Protected areas play a major role in reducing climate changing carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Fifteen percent of the worlds terrestrial carbon stock - 312 gigatonnes - are stored in protected areas around the world. Protected areas also serve as natural buffers against climate impacts and other disasters, providing space for floodwaters to disperse, stabilizing soil against landslides and blocking storm surges.