
Conveners
Tian GAO, Deliang LU
Institute of Applied Ecology, CAS
China
Session Description
Global climate change and carbon neutrality goals have posed new challenges and opportunities for the sustainable management to enhance carbon sink of forest ecosystems. As the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems, forests play an irreplaceable role in regulating global carbon balance and mitigating climate change. Thanks to ambitious forestry programs, China's forests have been rapidly restored during the past decade and approximately sequestrate carbon of 0.16 PgC/yr (ranging 0.08 to 0.59 PgC/yr), which is of great significance for achieving the carbon neutrality goal. However, the forest quality is not high. The proportion of middle-aged and young forests is 64%, indicating a great carbon sink potential.
This session will bring together researchers from relevant fields to conduct discussions and exchanges around the following topics:
Forest ecosystem carbon flux monitoring, simulation, and prediction.
Carbon sink processes of forest ecosystems and their response to climate change.
Theories, technologies, and research cases for improving forest quality driven by enhancing ecological carbon sinks.
The session will rely on the National Key R&D Program of China and the Major Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It aims to advance understanding and practice in sustainable forest management to maximize carbon sink for achieving carbon neutrality.
Session Justification
Forests are crucial for achieving carbon neutrality, as they absorb a significant portion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. However, sustainable management of forest ecosystems for enhancing carbon sinks faces challenges under the pressures of climate change and increasing human demands. This session directly aligns with the OSM theme "Sensitivity, mechanisms, and adaptation of biodiversity to climate change" by focusing on the response mechanisms and adaptations of forest ecosystems to climate change in the context of carbon neutrality goals.
The session will provide a platform for researchers to share the latest scientific findings on forest ecosystem carbon flux monitor and processes, discuss innovative technologies for enhancing forest carbon sinks, and explore feasible solutions for sustainable forest management. By bringing together experts from various disciplines, the session aims to promote inter-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, contributing to the development of effective policies and practices for forest ecosystem management to enhance ecological carbon sink.
Moreover, the session will showcase China's progress in forest restoration and its potential for further carbon sink, offering valuable insights for other countries. The session's outcomes will support the OSM's goal of applying ILTER science to address critical environmental issues, particularly sustainable forest management to combat climate change.
One Sentence Session Summary
Sharing research progress on monitoring methods of forest ecosystem carbon flux, exploring forest ecosystem carbon sink processes, sustainable management strategies and practical techniques for forest ecosystem to combat climate change.