Savannas are vital but overlooked carbon sinks

On the second day of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), 130 nations announced a decision to halt global deforestation by 2030 (1). This is a welcome move and a political success, but ecologically it falls short. The plan needs to be expanded to include savannas, which cover an area of 20 million km2—more than the 17 million km2 covered by tropical forests (2)—and are potentially more important carbon sinks than forests.