Carbon finance initiatives can provide biodiversity benefits

Carbon finance initiatives, such as REDD+, can deliver significant biodiversity benefits alongside their primary goal of climate change mitigation. A study evaluating the Gola-REDD+ initiative in Sierra Leone's tropical forests found that REDD+ financing led to greater faunal diversity in a protected area compared to non-financed areas and community lands. Using bioacoustics and DNA metabarcoding, researchers measured vocalizing diversity (soundscape saturation) and arthropod communities, demonstrating that REDD+-financed conservation strategies effectively conserve biodiversity while sequestering carbon. This study provides robust evidence for the dual benefits of carbon finance, establishes a rigorous framework for assessing biodiversity co-benefits, and underscores the potential of advanced conservation technologies to guide policy decisions.

Sagar, H. S. S. C., Raynor, J., Edwards, F. A., Sanderson, F. J., Jones, S., Yu, D. W., Bush, A., Persche, M. E., Bodasing, T., Taire, M. E., Gottesman, B., Feika, M. A., Nyallay, M., & Buřivalová, Z. (2026). Carbon finance initiatives can provide biodiversity benefits. Conservation Science and Practice, 8(4). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70254