A new study estimates that UNESCO World Heritage forests, which cover 69 million hectares or roughly twice the area of Germany, contain 13 billion tonnes of carbon (Gt C). This exceeds the amount of carbon found in Kuwait's proven oil reserves (101 billion barrels). The majority of the carbon stored in these so-called World Heritage forests is located in tropical regions.

While stable carbon storage is important, the carbon emitted and sequestered by forests directly affects climate change. The new study estimates that between 2001 and 2020, forests in World Heritage sites removed approximately 190 million tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year. This is comparable to approximately half of the United Kingdom's carbon emissions from fossil fuels in 2019. Ten large forest massifs were 'responsible' for half of the total carbon sequestration of the World Heritage forest network, but even sites that are smaller total sequesters (absorbing less carbon dioxide overall) can significantly influence regional and local climate regulation. For example, on average, every hectare of World Heritage forest can absorb the same amount of carbon in one year as is emitted by a passenger car.
Photograph by Donal Boyd used