Does achieving the sustainable development goal of forest carbon sinks need to come at the expense of the stakeholders’ benefits?—Global perspective through systematic literature review

Abstract Realizing the economic value of forest carbon sinks (FCS) is crucial for advancing environmental sustainability. This study addresses the central question of how global FCS can simultaneously generate economic and livelihood benefits. Using stakeholder theory to analyze conflicts among various actors and cost-benefit theory to explore their decision-making logic, it conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of 465 articles from the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases, identifying key research trends and practical challenges in this field. The main findings are as follows. (1) Research Evolution: Existing studies center on three core themes—FCS cost-benefit assessment, market mechanism design, and policy tool optimization. Based on these, this paper proposes a three-stage “measurement-market-policy” framework to guide future research. (2) Methodological Gaps: Current top-down policy evaluations often overlook local heterogeneity. Integrating mixed-methods approaches with bottom-up perspectives could strengthen future assessments. (3) Benefit Distribution Conflicts: Empirical evidence shows that FCS projects often require some stakeholders to sacrifice short-term gains, emphasizing the need for differentiated compensation mechanisms to promote equity and participation. (4) Governance Innovation: Relying solely on market mechanisms is insufficient to address institutional barriers; coordinated governance, combining effective markets with proactive government intervention, is essential for achieving sustainable outcomes. This study is the first to integrate economic and livelihood value considerations within a cross-scale analytical framework, providing empirical insights for governments worldwide to refine FCS policy toolkits.