Leho Tedersoo, Jaan Sepping, Alexey S Morgunov, Martin Kiik, Kristiina Esop, Raul Rosenvald, Kate Hardwick, Elinor Breman, Rachel Purdon, Ben Groom, Frank Venmans, Toby Kiers, Alexandre Antonelli

Carbon crediting and land offsets for biodiversity protection are implemented to tackle the challenges of increasing greenhouse gas emissions and loss of global biodiversity, but these two mechanisms are not optimal when considered separately. Focusing solely on carbon capture – the primary goal of most carbon-focused offsetting commitments – often results in the establishment of non-native, fast-growing monocultures that negatively affect biodiversity and soil-related ecosystem services. Soil contributes a vast proportion of global biodiversity and contains traces of aboveground organisms. Here we introduce a carbon and biodiversity co-crediting scheme based on the multi-kingdom molecular analysis and carbon analysis of soil samples and remote sensing for above-ground carbon analysis. Combined, such a co-crediting scheme could help halt biodiversity loss by incentivising industry and governments to fully account for biodiversity in carbon sequestration projects, prioritising protection before restoration and promoting socially and environmentally sustainable land stewardship in society’s journey towards a ‘Net Positive’ future.