This research project, titled “Developing natural climate solutions for multiple benefits: A case study of management practices intended to promote soil carbon sequestration on working lands,” was launched in partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s NatureNet Science Fellows program.

Growing evidence of the potential for soil carbon sequestration on croplands and rangelands to help mitigate climate change has spurred significant investment in farm and ranch management practices that can boost soil carbon. However, we need more scientific evidence to fully understand where and how to implement these management practices to achieve the greatest synergy – and fewest trade-offs – between soil carbon sequestration and other ecosystem goals such as biodiversity conservation. This project pursued four work streams to develop this science, focusing predominantly on rangelands, which play a significant role in both biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision.

Work streams (1) and (2) focused on one specific management practice – the addition of organic amendments to rangelands – that has received significant investment based on (thus far) limited evidence of its impacts on multiple ecosystem properties. Using (1) meta-analysis (Gravuer et al. 2019) and (2) controlled experimental approaches (Gravuer et al. in prep), these work streams sought to identify site types and amendment materials that maximize potential benefits and minimize potential harms across multiple ecosystem goals. In collaboration with a team led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) California chapter, work stream (3) explored the challenges and opportunities encountered by farmers and ranchers as they consider implementing climate-beneficial management practices. Hallie Eakin (ASU) provided valuable advice on the survey and interview methodologies for this work stream. Through the Managing Soil Carbon Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) working group, work stream (4) (Carey et al. in prep) sought to assess published support for linkages between common rangeland management practices, soil carbon, and other ecosystem services. Taken together, these products are informing diverse efforts to balance increased soil carbon sequestration with other ecosystem goals on working lands.

Partners

• Arizona State University
• Science for Nature and People Partnership
• The Nature Conservancy