The Role of Local Communities in Forest Management Based on Local Wisdom: A Qualitative Descriptive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/jh.v1i2.569Keywords:
Tropical Forests, carbon mitigation, global climate, Deforestation, forest restoration, REDD+Abstract
Tropical forests play a crucial role in the Earth's climate system as the largest carbon store, regulator of the water cycle, and stabilizer of global temperatures. However, the high rate of deforestation threatens these ecological functions. This article aims to comprehensively examine the role of tropical forests in carbon emission mitigation and global climate stabilization based on a synthesis of the latest scientific literature. The method used is a systematic literature review of 20 indexed international journal articles published in the last ten years. The results show that tropical forests store approximately 360 Pg C in biomass and absorb 0.47–1.3 Pg C/year, equivalent to 8–13% of annual anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Primary tropical forests store 141–159 Pg C, equivalent to 91–103% of the remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to below 1.5°C. In addition to their carbon sequestration function, tropical forests play an important role through evapotranspiration, cloud formation, and the albedo effect, which cools regional and global climates. Strategies for primary forest protection, secondary forest restoration, and REDD+ programs have the potential to save US$31–36 trillion in climate policy costs. They concluded that tropical forest protection and restoration are the most effective and efficient climate mitigation instruments, but they cannot replace the fundamental need for drastic reductions in fossil fuel emissions.
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