Science and research

In 2021, Conservation International researchers produced a first-of-its-kind atlas of the world’s “irrecoverable carbon.” These ecosystems are not only uniquely rich in planet-warming carbon, but also slow to regenerate — meaning we cannot afford to lose them if we are to limit climate change to 1.5°C. Remarkably, three-quarters of all irrecoverable carbon is concentrated on just 14 percent of Earth’s land. These same areas are also home to 91 percent of terrestrial vertebrates. Building on these findings, we launched an ambitious global effort to protect these places from encroaching industry and deforestation.

In 2022, our researchers discovered that removing invasive “climbing vines” from forests can double the rate of tree growth — making climber-cutting a groundbreaking new strategy for restoring degraded forests and boosting carbon absorption. If implemented across active tropical logging concessions, vine removal could accelerate tree growth enough to sequester 2.3 gigatons of carbon dioxide each year — the equivalent of taking half of the world’s automobiles off the road.

For generations, conservationists have struggled to quantify the impact of their work. The places we must monitor are vast, remote, and often difficult to access. Across our portfolio, we are pioneering next-generation approaches to measurement and monitoring: assessing biodiversity through audio analysis and traces of DNA left in the environment; tracking deforestation with satellite imagery; and measuring carbon density using lasers and other remote sensors.