For the first time, scientists from across the globe have united behind a collective statement: that wild animals are active participants in keeping the planet alive, insisting these are ecological roles that ought to be incorporated into climate policies around the world.

This is, of course, not new science. The role marine life plays in transporting carbon to the deep ocean or grazing animals play in stimulating plant growth and recycling nutrients back to the soil has been known for years. This, however, is the first time a coalition of 287 researchers, spanning six continents – has endorsed the Scientific Consensus on Wildlife and Climate to call on governments across the globe to formally incorporate wildlife into their climate policies.

The consensus was announced at SB64 – the 64th Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies – and it arrives at a moment of growing political momentum, following pledges by African leaders at COP30 to advance a Wildlife for Climate Declaration.

A 2023 paper in Nature Climate Change, led by Yale University revealed that restoring wild animal populations and their functional roles could increase carbon dioxide uptake by an additional 6.41 gigatons per year – enough to meaningfully close the gap between what conventional nature-based solutions can deliver and what scientists say is needed to hold warming below 1.5°C.

Yet wildlife has remained largely absent from climate policy frameworks. Mentions exist – under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, and through the IUCN – but advocates have long argued that without recognition inside the UNFCCC, real change is slow in coming.

“Wild animals are some of our greatest allies in protecting the planet from climate catastrophe, yet their role has been overlooked for far too long,” said Matt Collis, Senior Director of Policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “From elephants shaping forests to marine species helping store carbon in the ocean, animals keep ecosystems healthy, resilient, and functioning. This Scientific Consensus makes clear that climate policy can no longer ignore wildlife – not only for the sake of biodiversity, but for the future stability of our planet.”

The consensus itself was developed through a structured, transparent drafting process involving academics from India to Rwanda, Chile to Finland. At its core, it affirms three things: that animals influence climate-relevant ecological processes through ordinary behaviour – grazing, predation, movement, feeding, excretion; that these processes matter for carbon storage and ecosystem stability; and that assessing nature-based climate solutions without accounting for wildlife is, in many cases, scientifically incomplete.

Jens-Christian Svenning, Director of the DNRF Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere at Aarhus University and one of twelve scientists who helped draft the consensus, said: “Wild animals play important and often under-appreciated roles in the earth system – influencing carbon cycling, fire regimes, and the capacity of ecosystems to adapt to climate change.

“The scientific evidence for these effects has grown substantially in recent years. Recognising this in climate policy is a critical step, and I see this consensus statement as an important contribution to that process.”

Ed Goodall, Climate Policy Specialist at the World Federation for Animals, who oversaw the consensus process, has suggested that bringing together a broad spectrum of scientists in this way “reflects a clear agreement that wild animals are active participants in ecosystem processes”.

“Whilst the science will continue to develop, there is strong agreement from over 280 academics already that animal-mediated processes — from seed dispersal and pollination to grazing and ecosystem engineering — must be better recognised in climate and biodiversity policy. The Consensus gives policymakers a careful, credible basis for doing so,” he said.

A dedicated Wildlife and Climate consensus website has also launched alongside the statement, translating the scientific evidence into accessible guidance for policymakers.

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.