Photo detail / credit: Rewilders releasing a quoll – WWF Australia and Tasmanian Land Conservancy
Restoring wildlife populations to significant, near-historic levels is the only nature-based solution
that addresses both our climate and biodiversity emergencies.
We call for new thinking that includes the restoration and conservation of wild animals and their ecosystem roles as a key component of nature climate solutions that can enhance the ability to prevent climate heating beyond 1.5°C
ANIMATING THE CARBON CYCLE THROUGH REWILDING

IMMEDIATE AND SCALABLE SOLUTIONS WITH LONG-TERM IMPACT
By restoring wildlife and ecosystems, ACC provides a rapid and large-scale approach to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, mitigating climate change and restoring biodiversity

COST-EFFICIENCY & ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Rewilding and restoring animal populations is a nature-based solution that delivers economic benefits such as job creations while addressing urgent environmental issues. As an example, research has shown a 412% job increase at rewilding sites in Scotland (see rewildingbritain.org.uk)

MULTI-CRISIS APPROACH
By enhancing natural processes, ACC addresses both climate and biodiversity emergencies, as well as climate anxiety, providing a comprehensive solution for policymakers
WE CAN ACT NOW. WE CAN ACT FAST.
Immediate and bold action is crucial to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals and conserve biodiversity. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 won’t limit warming to 1.5-2°C. To avoid surpassing this critical threshold, we need negative emissions. To get there, we must harness nature’s full potential to remove large amounts of legacy carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Wild species are the key
Current policies often overlook the crucial link between biodiversity, especially animal diversity, and climate solutions. Most carbon models focus only on plants and microbes, leading to incomplete carbon storage estimates. The Yale/GRA ACC Model (Animating the Carbon Cycle) reveals that animals play a key role by helping plants capture carbon and enriching soils to store it.
We must act on an unprecedented scale
An overall population decline globally of over 73% in less than 50 years for more than 5,000 vertebrate species has been reported¹, including 90% of fish stocks used up – fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted².
The continued loss of biodiversity is pushing ecosystems toward critical tipping points, with catastrophic consequences for humanity and Earth’s life-support systems. However, with the right support, these ecosystems can swiftly become a vital solution to the climate crisis – generating negative emissions, mitigating warming, and enhancing climate resilience.
¹https://www.worldwildlife.org
²https://livingplanet.panda.org
We don’t need new expensive sci-fi technology
We need the power of wild nature
EMPTY FORESTS STORE LESS CARBON


Infographics showing how removal of animals (“defaunation”) affects carbon stocks in tropical forests. Credit: M. Galetti.

Photo detail / credit: Rewilding Chile, Cristian Saucedo
3-in-1 POLICY
Climate
Crisis
Biodiversity
Emergency
Climate
Anxiety
RIGOROUS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH shows that boosting wildlife populations rivals top IPCC mitigation measures
MEETING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: Rewilding supports global progress
- SDG 1: No Poverty
Income from ecological services can help reduce poverty. - SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
Rewilding enhances ecosystem services that support human health and well-being. - SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Healthy ecosystems contribute to clean water and improved sanitation. - SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Rewilding fosters new, local, and sustainable economies. - SDG 10: Reduced Inequality
Local economic opportunities from rewilding can help reduce inequality. - SDG 13: Climate Action
Rewilding helps mitigate climate change by enhancing carbon sequestration. - SDG 14: Life Below Water
Rewilding of marine ecosystems supports life below water. - SDG 15: Life on Land
Rewilding supports terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.









WILDLIFE FOR NDCs
BY PROTECTING AND EXPANDING WILD ANIMAL POPULATIONS TO THEIR HISTORIC LEVELS
countries can increase economic benefits for their citizenS
Simon Addison, IFAW Climate Change Adviser
Why Should Countries Include Wild Animals in NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions)?
- Enhanced CO2 Storage: Healthy wildlife populations improve ecosystems’ ability to store carbon dioxide effectively
- Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiverse ecosystems are crucial for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction
- Economic Benefits: Protecting wildlife can drive economic growth linked to carbon sequestration and ecosystem services
What can countries do?
- Integrate Wildlife in NDCs: Include wildlife conservation and rewilding as core strategies for achieving climate goals
- Assess Contributions: Evaluate the impact of wildlife on carbon sequestration and climate resilience
- Attract Climate Finance: Advocate for wildlife-related initiatives to secure funding and support for conservation efforts
WILDLIFE GUIDELINES FOR NDCs
POLICY SUPPORT FOR KEY ECOSYSTEMS

Photo detail / credit: Boreal forest
– Bryce Evans on Unsplash
FORESTS: Shifting away from tree planting
Shifting away from tree planting and intensive, clear-cut forestry models toward promoting natural forest regeneration can significantly boost the carbon sink potential of forests. Science shows that if the 3.5 million km² of degraded land committed by countries in the Bonn Challenge are reforested through natural regeneration, they would capture 42 GtC by 2100, compared to just 1 GtC through plantations.
Natural regeneration of forests, when possible, is 40 times more beneficial for climate than forest plantations.
By applying the ACC perspective, which integrates wildlife into forest ecosystems, the carbon sequestration potential would multiply even further. The transition of managed forests into ecosystems that resemble intact natural forests – a process known as “proforestation” – emerges as one of the most cost-effective strategies to address the interconnected global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
GRASSLANDS: 80% of the total carbon sink
Grasslands, which cover 40% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface and store over 30% of land-based carbon, are often overlooked in climate solutions. The ACC approach underscores the importance of protecting and restoring these ecosystems. With sparsely grazed and natural grasslands contributing to 80% of the total carbon sink, restoring large herbivores to historic densities could accelerate carbon sequestration and mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires, making grasslands critical to the carbon cycle.

Photo detail / credit: Grassland
– Adrien Olichon on Unsplash

Photo detail / credit: Marine Fish – Hiroko Yoshii on Unsplash
FISHING: No-take fishing zones
INVEST IN NATURE
Expanding funding for natural carbon solutions is essential to maximizing the potential of ACC. Currently, only 2% of climate finance supports nature-based approaches. Dedicated funding for rewilding and ACC implementation must be prioritized at both national and international levels, such as through the Green Climate Fund.
Incorporating ACC into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) is crucial. By aligning national policies with ACC principles, we can enhance climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation efforts globally.
“[B]iological sequestration methods, including restoration of forests, grasslands, and wetlands and regenerative agriculture, are both more effective and more resource efficient in achieving a climate-relevant scale of CO2 removal than are techno-mechanical methods – which use machinery and chemicals to capture CO2. Additionally, the co-impacts of biological methods are largely positive, while those of technical/mechanical methods are negative. Biological methods are also far less expensive.”
June Sekera – Carbon researcher, visiting scholar at the New School for Social Research in New York and lead author of: Carbon dioxide removal – What’s worth doing? A biophysical and public need perspective.
WE NEED POLICIES that recognise and support the role of animal diversity in climate solutions
Moving forward, the significant and potentially game-changing impact of wild animals on the carbon cycle will become increasingly relevant as scientists and policy-makers consider and advocate the use of nature-based climate solutions.
IF YOU ARE A POLICY MAKER YOU CAN SUPPORT THIS PIONEERING RESEARCH

Photo detail / credit: Giraffe, Sasmara Karoo Reserve
– Etienne Oosthuizen
A PARADIGM SHIFT to mobilise natural processes for climate and society benefits
Restoring habitats, enhancing connectivity, and integrating local communities, rewilding supports entire ecosystems. This shift in human-nature coexistence fosters sustainable livelihoods and global carbon solutions through stewardship and collaboration. Local engagement is crucial, expanding opportunities for people to thrive on and contribute to these landscapes.
As an example, in June 2024 Rewilding Britain reported that the release of the first rewilding job creation statistics for Scotland showed a 412% job increase at rewilding sites in Scotland.
Photo detail / credit: Wildwood Trust
ACC IN THE NEWS
Our research has been published in 70 mainstream outlets, 50 countries and translated in 12 languages











Photo detail / credit: Wolverine, Finland – Grégoire Dubois
A Win-Win Situation:
Climate is absolutely fundamental to biodiversity conservation and biodiversity is a key pathway forward for addressing the climate change challenge of this planet.
“This research opens up a whole new raft of options for climate policymakers around the world. Until now, nature protection and restoration has largely been treated as another challenge and cost that we need to face alongside the climate emergency. This research shows we can address both challenges: we can bring back nature through rewilding and this will draw down vast amounts of carbon, helping to stabilise the global climate.”
Magnus Sylvén – Director of science policy practice at Global Rewilding Alliance
Expanding the portfolio of NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS to include ACC could AT LEAST DOUBLE THE ESTIMATED NEGATIVE EMISSIONS RATE and thus more quickly forestall exceeding 2°C
Oswald J. Schmitz & Magnus Sylvén
– Animating the Carbon Cycle: How Wildlife Conservation Can Be a Key to Mitigate Climate Change
GET INVOLVED
If you’re a policymaker committed to addressing both the climate and biodiversity crises, ACC offers a powerful framework to guide your efforts. Here’s how you can make an impact:
Bridge the Gap:
Use ACC to connect biodiversity and climate solutions, becoming an advocate within your policy circles.
Promote Rewilding:
Advocate for rewilding as a critical investment in both climate resilience and ecosystem recovery, emphasizing that protecting biodiversity is not a cost but a long-term benefit.
Champion Biodiversity Net Gain:
Support wildlife corridors and other initiatives that ensure biodiversity thrives alongside development.
ACC encourages innovative approaches to solving the interconnected challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Join us in shaping a future where climate and biodiversity policies work hand-in-hand. Get in touch to learn more about how ACC can support your efforts.
ACC RESOURCES
For a deeper dive into ACC, visit our Resource Library packed with a fully searchable collection of articles, reports, policy documents, press releases, news items, videos, scientific papers and other information about this exciting natural solution to the challenges of biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, and climate anxiety.
SCIENTISTS & ORGANISATIONS BEHIND

This initiative is led by a partnership between the Global Rewilding Alliance and Yale School of the Environment.
This work would not have been possible without our Rewilding Champions. A great thank you to:
Biophilia Foundation, Rewilding Europe, Rewilding Chile, IFAW, André Hoffmann, Ben Goldsmith, Re:wild. We also want to thank One Earth and the WILD Foundation for helping us get started on his important initiative.
Together, this coalition advocates a very clear solution: preserving intact nature and immediately restoring and rewilding functional ecosystems at landscape and seascape scale. You can find out more about us here.