Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Group

The impact of mammalian browsers on carbon storage

Understanding the condition and change of Aotearoa New Zealand’s native forests is critical for biodiversity, resilience to disturbance, and carbon cycling. These forests capture and store atmospheric carbon, yet some forest types may be losing carbon due to browsing animals such as deer, goats, and possums. Browsers have complex effects: selectively harming certain tree species, altering forest composition, diversity of vegetation. This talk summarises current knowledge and some recent research about browser effects on forest ecosystem carbon including: • Results from a national study of animal exclosures/fences • Findings on carbon stocks in remeasured forest plots • Science principles for understanding changes in carbon.