Nature-based climate solutions usually focus on plants and soils, largely ignoring animals. Yet emerging evidence suggests that large herbivores can significantly alter ecosystem carbon dynamics and climate forcing. Clarifying their role could reduce major uncertainties and help develop solutions that address climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously.

The project combines three approaches: a global synthesis of studies on animal impacts on carbon, fire, surface energy reflectance and greenhouse gases; large-scale analyses of elephant-driven vegetation change across African protected areas; and field experiments in Kenya manipulating herbivore communities to measure ecosystem carbon storage and exchange.