Nature’s Guardians: How Every Being Helps to Protect Our Precious Earth, Part 2 of a Multi-part Series

Carbon sequestration, a crucial method to mitigate global warming, is the process that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Notably, Africa’s forest elephant-folks are also called “climate heroes” for their incredible contributions to carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation. Dr. Ralph Chami, Assistant Director of the Institute for Capacity Development at the International Monetary Fund, says, “A living elephant provides services worth millions; it is helping us fight climate change […].” Iconic symbols of the African savannah, thousands of wildebeest-people migrate annually across 25,900 square kilometers of the Serengeti grasslands. By grazing and moving across the vast grasslands, they help balance ecosystems and lock carbon into the land. Dr. Sugata Hazra, Director of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University, says, “The mangroves are a huge carbon sink, on a par with the Amazonian rain forest.”

Mr. Joydip Kundu, Co-Founder of the Society for Heritage and Ecological Researches, says, “The tiger is protecting the mangrove ecosystem. […] The moment you take the tiger out of the landscape, the entire ecosystem will vanish.” With their immense body masses, each whale-person can sequester up to 33 tons of CO2 on average. A University of Hawaii study published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution discusses whales’ indirect pathways for carbon sequestration, emphasizing their role in stimulating phytoplankton growth and mitigating global warming effects. Sea otter-people, often called the guardians of marine ecosystems, play an essential role in preserving the health of kelp forests, which are among Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems. May humanity recognize the invaluable role that all animal-people play in protecting the ecosystems of our precious planet.