Reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide does not require wrecking conventional energy supplies. A compelling approach is to rewild vast stretches of Eastern Siberia with grasslands that support millions of ungulate animals, echoing the landscape that existed during the last ice age. Ecologist Nikita Zimov, head of the Pleistocene Park, has articulated this vision clearly. In a column for the Clean Future information and analytics portal, he explains that if ten percent of Russian land were converted into pasture, the country could move toward carbon neutrality. The idea rests on a natural cycle: thriving pastures draw down carbon, while animals continuously cycle nutrients and promote soil health. This is not a call to dismantle energy systems but a strategy to balance them with large-scale, regenerative ecosystems.
Another columnist piece, titled “Mammoth Steppes: Grasslands as carbon sinks,” argues that Arctic pastoral ecosystems, when managed effectively, can provide a cooling effect on the climate. The early steps toward this concept began in 1988 when Zimov’s father, Sergei Zimov, started experiments at Pleistocene Park in Yakutia. The park serves as a living laboratory where the impact of large herbivores on grassland dynamics and soil carbon is observed, tested, and refined for broader application. Today, the guarded expanse covers roughly 20 square kilometers and plays host to nine species of substantial herbivores, including reindeer, Yakut horses, deer, steppe bison, bison, musk ox, yak, Kalmyk cattle, and domestic sheep. Each species contributes to the texture of the ecosystem, from grazing patterns to nutrient distribution, creating a mosaic that sustains plant communities and soil carbon stores.
According to Nikita Zimov, reviving pastureland is not just about land management; it is about building a sustainable economy and a resilient ecology across permafrost regions. The logic is straightforward: as pastures expand to accommodate tens of millions of animals, the landscape locks away more carbon in soils and biomass, while stabilizing regional climate processes. If Russia were to allocate about one-third of the area currently under permafrost to pastureland—roughly three million square kilometers—the theoretical outcome would yield substantial progress toward carbon neutrality, potentially easing the path toward more stable regional and continental climate dynamics. In this scenario, economic activity could continue with less reliance on carbon-intensive practices as pasture-based livelihoods grow in tandem with ecological restoration.
On the question of climate policy, Zimov has been candid about the Paris Agreement’s limitations for a country with vast cold regions. He argues that achieving significant emission reductions could entail heavy economic costs, including slowing industrial output or restructuring factories to run on renewable energy, all while requiring enormous capital investments. The northern climatic realities, he notes, present unique challenges that make rapid transitions more formidable. He posits that Russia could move toward carbon neutrality without a sharp decline in living standards by scaling up expansive pastoral systems built to thrive under permafrost conditions. In this view, the creation of large, well-managed pastures emerges as a practical, if ambitious, pathway to green growth that aligns with regional ecological constraints and long-term resilience.
The ecologist also highlights that scientists at Pleistocene Park have already recreated a proxy of mammoth grazing on the steppe. While actual mammoths are absent, other contemporary animals emulate the roles these ancient grazers played in shaping vegetation and soil structure. The underlying principle remains clear: design ecosystems that operate with the same foundational patterns observed in the Pleistocene era, promoting soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and climate moderation. The overarching aim is to cultivate a self-sustaining ecosystem that can persist and prosper with minimal ongoing human intervention, even in harsh northern environments. The park’s work embodies a broader ambition: to demonstrate how managed, herbivore-driven grasslands can function as a climate-positive landscape and serve as a model for ecosystem restoration under permafrost conditions. The practical implication is that large-scale, well-planned pastoral networks could become credible tools in the fight against climate warming, offering both environmental and economic benefits as local communities adapt to new forms of stewardship and opportunity.