Wild animals are not passive bystanders to climate change but active players in regulating it, according to a peer-reviewed article published this week in Global Change Biology – lending yet more scientific weight to a global consensus already endorsed by over 350 scientists worldwide.

The article builds on the Scientific Consensus on Wildlife and Climate, launched in June, which recognises the positive role wild animals play in climate change mitigation and calls on governments to explicitly incorporate wildlife and their ecological roles into climate policy.

Across the world, trillions of wild animals support ecosystem functioning every day through their natural behaviours – from dugongs recycling nutrients and dispersing seeds through seagrass meadows, to Asian tigers regulating herbivore populations in ways that cascade through forest carbon storage.

Titled “Wildlife and Climate” scientific consensus on the roles of wild animals in the global carbon cycle and natural climate solutions, the manuscript was co-authored by 13 scientists who collectively drafted the original consensus wording. Published on 25 September 2026 in the journal’s ‘Science behind the news’ section, it examines how wild animals drive ecosystem processes that regulate carbon storage and greenhouse gas flux, and urges policymakers to close the gap between scientific understanding and climate policy.

The publication comes as momentum builds ahead of COP31 in November, with a global, African-led, voluntary Wildlife for Climate Declaration due to launch – an opportunity for countries to formally recognise wildlife as part of the functional basis of climate-resilient ecosystems.

Nathan Roberts, of Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China, who coordinated the article, said the consensus’s endorsement marked a turning point.

“The endorsement of the Scientific Consensus on Wildlife and Climate by over 350 global scientists marked a huge step in the collective recognition of the role of wild animals in ecosystem functioning and the need to better incorporate wildlife in nature-based climate solutions.

“Securing this peer-reviewed article in Global Change Biology now raises further international awareness in the science and policy space of the importance of wildlife in more holistic and effective climate action. With COP31 just a few months away, it is encouraging to see the acceptance, openness, and new conversations being had in this area, and as we continue to advance the science, we look forward to seeing how countries carry this forward in their climate actions, plans, and dialogues.”

Ed Goodall, Climate Policy Specialist at the World Federation for Animals, said the science demands a rethink of how animals are viewed within the climate system.

“Wildlife have been viewed for too long as passive participants in the Earth system and victims of a changing climate. However, science is showing us that it is the complex web of interactions, driven in large part by animals, that has provided us with the habitable home we share today. Losing animals and the roles they play is not unrelated to the dysregulation of our planet, and by removing threats and returning land and ocean to them will increase resilience and help drive more carbon into ecosystems.”

Matt Collis, Senior Director of Policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said the findings should reshape how governments approach climate strategy.

“Climate policy has largely overlooked a powerful ally in tackling climate change—wild animals. This growing body of science shows that protecting wildlife isn’t only about preventing species loss, it’s also about keeping the ecosystems we depend on healthy, resilient, and storing carbon.

“With COP31 approaching, governments have an opportunity to turn that science into action. Wildlife and the ecological roles animals play should be recognised in climate strategies, from national climate plans to investments in nature-based solutions. Protecting and restoring wildlife populations can deliver benefits for animals, people, biodiversity, and our climate, and that makes it an opportunity we cannot afford to ignore.”

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