Grassland plants transfer large amounts of carbon to soil through their roots, and most of that carbon is stored below ground. Therefore, promoting soil carbon storage can be important to help combat climate change. Grazers feed on grassland plants, and conventional wisdom often assumes that removing grazers benefits carbon storage, but a new study in Global Change Biology Communications reveals that the opposite may be the case.
Drawing on real-world evidence from long-term cessation of grazing in the sub-arctic grasslands in Iceland, researchers found that grazing abandonment resulted in lower soil carbon, while continued grazing consistently resulted in higher soil carbon. Long-time grazing abandonment also promoted ecological shifts to lower-soil carbon vegetation types.
“The findings have important implications for climate policy, nature-based solutions, and sustainable grassland management worldwide,” said corresponding author Anna Gudrun Thorhallsdottir, PhD, a professor at the University of Iceland at Holar. “They highlight the potential importance of grazing to sustain grasslands and enhance soil carbon storage.”
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gcb4.70049
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Global Change Biology Communications is a peer reviewed, open access companion to Global Change Biology that publishes high impact research on how living systems respond to global changes. Upholding the rigorous standards of the GCB family of journals, GCB Communications spotlights innovative studies at any spatial and temporal scale, including those not typically considered by GCB, that advance understanding of biological responses to global change. The goal of GCB Communications is to empower scientists, educators, policymakers, and practitioners to apply the latest scientific findings to advance adaptation and mitigation of biological systems for a sustainable future.
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Sustained Livestock Grazing Enhances Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Sub-Arctic Grassland
23-Sep-2026