A review of transformative strategies for climate mitigation by grasslands

Summary

This narrative review examines four transformative management strategies that could enhance grasslands' climate mitigation potential whilst reversing recent shifts from net cooling to warming effects caused by intensification and land conversion. The authors assess adaptive multi-paddock grazing, agrivoltaics, agroforestry with Faidherbia albida, and enhanced weathering against multiple criteria including carbon sequestration, non-CO₂ GHG mitigation, productivity, resilience, and resource efficiency. The review concludes that whilst all strategies offer promise, mechanistic assessment of ecological, environmental, and socio-economic consequences at large scale is urgently needed to realise grasslands' potential for food, energy, and environmental security.

UK applicability

These strategies are relevant to UK grassland management policy and practice, particularly agrivoltaics and agroforestry which could be integrated into UK farming systems. However, adaptive multi-paddock grazing and Faidherbia agroforestry may require climate and ecological adaptation for British conditions; enhanced weathering represents an emerging technology with limited UK-specific evidence.

Key measures

CO₂ sequestration potential; non-CO₂ greenhouse gas mitigation; land productivity; climate change resilience; natural resource use efficiency (water, nutrients)

Outcomes reported

The review examined four innovative grassland management strategies (adaptive multi-paddock grazing, agrivoltaics, agroforestry with Faidherbia albida, and enhanced weathering) and assessed their potential to deliver CO₂ sequestration, non-CO₂ greenhouse gas mitigation, productivity gains, climate resilience, and efficient resource use. The authors identified knowledge gaps and potential unintended consequences of large-scale adoption of these approaches.

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