Latin america’s hidden climate heroes: why páramos and coastal wetlands deserve more attention than the amazon gets

While the world fixates on protecting the Amazon rainforest in the fight against climate change, scientists are sounding the alarm about Latin America’s overlooked ecosystems that may be even more powerful weapons against global warming. These forgotten landscapes—including high-altitude páramos, coastal wetlands, peatlands, mangroves, and seagrass meadows—can actually store more carbon per hectare than the celebrated tropical forests that dominate international climate discussions.

The numbers tell a compelling story. While Amazon forests store an impressive 60 to 230 metric tons of carbon per hectare, many of these neglected ecosystems pack an even bigger carbon punch in smaller spaces. Yet despite mounting scientific evidence of their climate potential, these vital habitats remain largely absent from global climate strategies and the nationally determined contributions that countries submit under the Paris Agreement.

A new investigation by Mongabay Latam has spotlighted six of these underappreciated ecosystems across multiple Latin American countries, revealing how local communities, scientists, and conservation organizations are working to study and protect these natural climate solutions. From the high-altitude grasslands of páramos that capture moisture from clouds to underwater seagrass meadows that sequester carbon in marine sediments, these ecosystems represent untapped potential in humanity’s race to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The findings underscore a critical gap in current climate policy: while protecting the Amazon remains essential, the international community may be missing equally important opportunities by overlooking these diverse, carbon-rich landscapes that could significantly boost Latin America’s contribution to global climate goals.