Researchers from the University of Leeds said the reintroduction of wolves in the Scottish Highlands could help sequester an estimated one million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Highlands could help efforts to reduce climate change by sequestering one million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, a new study has revealed.
Researchers from the University of Leeds have modelled the potential impact that wolves could have in four areas classified as 'wild land' in the Scottish Highlands - where the eating of tree saplings by growing red deer populations is 'suppressing' natural regeneration of trees and woodland.
They used a predator–prey model to estimate that a reintroduction of 167 wolves to areas in the Cairngorms, south-west Highlands, central Highlands and north-west Highlands could reduce red deer populations to a level that would allow trees to 'regenerate' naturally.
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Professor Dominick Spracklen of the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment team, and lead author of the survey, said the control of red deer by wolves could lead to an expansion of native woodland which is equivalent to approximately 5% of the carbon removal target suggested by the UK's Climate Change Committee to meet net zero by 2050.
Therefore, each wolf could lead to an annual carbon uptake capability of 6,080 tonnes of carbon dioxide, making each of the predators 'worth' around £154,000, researchers revealed.
Authors of the study said the results provide further evidence of the role large carnivores like wolves can play in delivering the nature-based solutions required to address the climate emergency with carbon storage and woodland expansion.
Professor Spracklen said there is an 'increasing acknowledgement' that the climate and biodiversity crises cannot be managed in isolation.
He added: "We need to look at the potential role of natural processes such as the reintroduction of species to recover our degraded ecosystems and these in turn can deliver co-benefits for climate and nature recovery."
Wolves were eradicated from Scotland around 250 years ago, according to the educational facility, leaving red deer with no natural predators and allowing their populations to grow across the country.
NatureScot said there are believed to be around 400,000 red deer in Scotland.
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Researches said a lack of natural tree regeneration has contributed to the 'long-term decline and loss of native woodland', with Scotland claimed to have one of the lowest levels of native woodland in Europe.
In 2023, the European Commission said the wolf population for countries in the European Union was around 20,300, an increase by 81% from 2012.
Analysts have recognised that there will be 'controversy' surrounding the results of the research, particularly among livestock farmers and deer stalkers.
However, they argued the financial and ecological benefits of reintroducing wolves 'needs to be considered'.
The educational setting said wolves could boost ecotourism, reduce deer-related road traffic accidents, reduce Lyme disease associated with deer and reduce the cost of deer culls.
Lee Schofield, a co-author of the study and Penrith farmer, said he hopes the study will provide new information which informs the ongoing and future discussion about the possibility of reintroducing wolves in the UK and elsewhere.
"We recognise that substantial and wide-ranging stakeholder and public engagement would clearly be essential before any wolf reintroduction could be considered," he added.
"Human-wildlife conflicts involving carnivores are common and must be addressed through public policies that account for people's attitudes for a reintroduction to be successful."
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