A recent study revealed that a herd of 170 bison, reintroduced in the Țarcu mountains in Romania, could contribute to to store a quantity of CO2 equivalent to that produced by 43,000 cars in the United States in a year. This shows how these animals can mitigate some effects of the climate crisis.
The return of European bison to Romania
These European animals had disappeared from Romania beyond 200 years ago. However, thanks to the efforts of Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania, the species was reintroduced to the Southern Carpathian Mountains in 2014. Since then, over 100 bison they found a new home in the Țarcu mountains, growing to over 170 animals todayforming one of the largest free-living populations in Europe.
The ecological impact
The research, developed by the Yale School of the Environment and funded by Global Rewilding Allianceused a new model to calculate the impact ecological. The results show that the bison that they graze over an area of almost 50 km² of grasslands they can capture up to 54,000 tonnes of carbon per year, almost 9.8 times more than they would without their presence.
Bison influence grassland and forest ecosystems by uniformly grazing, recycling nutrients to fertilize the soil, dispersing seeds and compacting the soil to prevent the release of stored carbon. These animals have co-evolved for millions of years with these ecosystems, and their reintroduction can help restore natural balance and combat climate change.
A nature-based solution
According to Alexander Lees of Manchester Metropolitan University, who was not involved in the study, the research offers a solid basis for reintroduction of European bison as a nature-based climate solution. Lees advocates further field research they might validate models and improve understanding of how long it takes for bison benefits to accrue.
Bison aren’t just heroes climatebut also key species in ecosystems, whose grazing helps maintain a landscape biodiversity of forests, bushes, grasslands and microhabitats. In the Țarcu Mountains, their return has also inspired nature-based tourism and new rewilding-related businesses.
Magnus Sylven from the Global Rewilding Alliance highlights how this research opens up new options for climate policymakers around the world. Until now, the protection and restoration of nature have been considered as additional challenges and costs to be faced alongside the climate emergency. This study shows that we can face both challenges reintroducing nature through rewilding, which will help reduce huge amounts of carbon and stabilize the global climate.
What do you think about the role of bison in the fight against climate change? Share your opinion in the comments!
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