Aerial view of a stream flowing through a lush, green forest.
Birds and Climate Natural Climate Solutions

Natural Climate Solutions Science and Resources

Audubon guidance on how conservation actions can mitigate climate change and provide critical habitat for birds.
Photo: Sydney Walsh/Audubon

Biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate. Audubon's research shows that without meaningful action to mitigate the impacts of climate change, two-thirds of North American bird species and more than 75 percent of Latin American forest bird species are at risk of extinction. To help address this, Audubon has conducted research on the natural ability of ecosystems to store carbon, known as natural climate solutions (NCS), and how maintaining and restoring nature at scale can tackle climate change while benefiting birds and communities. 

Natural Climate Solutions Report

Audubon's 2021 report lays out how maintaining and restoring forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other habitats can help mitigate climate change.
Read the Report
Northern Parula
Wood Warblers

Where Conservation Can Deliver for Birds, Communities, and Climate

Audubon's 2025 study published in Scientific Reports reveals how conservation actions can prioritize biodiversity, climate mitigation, and community engagement to benefit birds and people while addressing climate change. The study includes GIS maps that show Audubon’s priority areas for Birds, Carbon, and Equitable Conservation. Each ecosystem analyzed is represented as a separate layer that identifies areas of high value for carbon storage, high value for birds, and high value for both birds and carbon to maintain or restore. In addition, maps for each ecosystem reveal high value areas for birds and carbon that overlap with equitable conservation priorities and areas of high-priority NCS carbon storage.

Birds, Carbon, and Communities Framework
Natural Climate Solutions GIS Maps

Habitat Management Briefs 

Audubon's publication, Managing U.S. Grasslands for Birds, Carbon, and Co-benefits, highlights which common habitat management practices are likely to benefit grassland birds, support carbon sequestration and storage, and deliver important co-benefits— including water quality, soil health, economic benefits, and improved resilience. Evidence presented was gathered through a literature review; please see the Technical Appendix for details.

Grasslands Management Brief
Managing U.S. Grasslands for Birds, Carbon, and Co-benefits
Learn how grassland management practices can benefit birds and carbon and provide other co-benefits.
Technical Appendix
Download the technical appendix for more information about the evidence gathered and literature review.
NCS News and Stories
Audubon and Grassroots Carbon Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Reward Landowners for Improving Habitats for Birds while Building Healthy Soils
Audubon and Grassroots Carbon Announce First-of-its-Kind Partnership to Reward Landowners for Improving Habitats for Birds while Building Healthy Soils

This innovative partnership creates new income opportunities for landowners through soil drawdown carbon credits to reward them for regenerative land stewardship practices

Conservation Ranching News
Mangroves, a Line of Defense Against Climate Change
Mangroves, a Line of Defense Against Climate Change

Julio Montes de Oca, director of Coastal Resilience for the Americas, shares how Audubon is advancing in Latin America and the Caribbean one of the priority hemispheric strategies.

Climate

NCS in Key Ecosystems

Audubon’s 2021 Natural Climate Solutions report identified 538 million acres of priority forest, 24.7 million acres of priority coastal wetlands, and 576 million acres of priority grasslands in the U.S.  

FORESTS
Forests store more total carbon than any other ecosystem, due to both the value of trees as carbon sinks and the amount of forested land.  Conservation and restoration of our priority forest areas is essential for the survival of many climate vulnerable bird species, including the Wood Thrush.  

COASTAL WETLANDS
Coastal wetlands store the highest amount of carbon per acre of any ecosystem and represent a significant opportunity for increased carbon sequestration through restoration; they are also disproportionately important to multiple bird species, including threatened shorebirds like the Piping Plover. 

GRASSLANDS
Grassland ecosystems represent both opportunity and risk. Without active conservation and restoration, some current carbon sinks are in danger of becoming carbon sources. Audubon’s Conservation Ranching Program and public policies that provide incentives for conservation are both essential for advancing natural climate solutions. 

CITIES AND SUBURBS
Urban and suburban areas present opportunities to restore natural ecosystems and create carbon sinks, while also protecting biodiversity, increasing environmental equity, and delivering health and quality of life benefits for communities. 

Read about these and three additional ecosystems in the 2021 Natural Climate Solutions Report.