Prioritizing global tall forests toward the 30 × 30 goals

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Forestry

Background:

• The Global Deal for Nature aims to protect 30% of Earth's land and oceans by 2030 (30x30 initiative).
• Current conservation prioritization often overlooks vertical habitat structure, focusing instead on thematic attributes.
• Global tall forests, characterized by high canopy height, harbor rich biodiversity and significant aboveground biomass.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the spatial distribution and protection status of global tall forests.
• To inform conservation planning by incorporating vertical habitat structure into prioritization methods.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of current protected areas in conserving tall forests.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Global Canopy Height 2020 product to define tall forests (canopy height >20, 25, or 30m).
• Quantified tall forest distribution and protection levels in high- and low-protection zones relative to 30x30 goals.
• Assessed protection using the 2017 World Database on Protected Areas and the 2020 Global Intact Forest Landscapes mask.

Main Results:

• Protection levels generally decreased with increasing forest height strata.
• In low-protection zones, less than 30% of forests were protected across most tall forest strata.
• Brazil showed higher protection for tall forests compared to the United States, where protection was consistently below 30%.

Conclusions:

• There is an urgent need to prioritize conservation efforts for the tallest forest strata, especially in areas close to achieving 30x30 goals.
• Incorporating vegetation vertical structure into conservation decision-making can identify high-value areas for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
• Targeting tall forests can enhance the effectiveness of global conservation strategies and climate change mitigation efforts.