Mediterranean olive agroecosystems are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to climate change mitigation, mainly through the sequestration and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the mitigation potential of such an agroecosystem cannot be inferred solely from changes in SOC stock. This reflects the interconnected nature of perennial tree cropping systems, where biomass growth, soil carbon stabilization, management-induced greenhouse gas emissions and accounting assumptions interact to determine mitigation outcomes. This review synthesizes current knowledge on carbon dynamics in olive agroecosystems from a system-level perspective. We show that SOC is the most persistent carbon pool, and its accumulation is governed by organic inputs, stabilization processes, disturbances, and site-specific constraints. Management practices can increase carbon inputs or reduce losses, but also create trade-offs through erosion, decomposition, and non-CO2 emissions. Existing assessments are limited by methodological inconsistencies, system boundaries, life-cycle assumptions, and MRV requirements. Olive agroecosystems should be assessed as connected soil–plant–atmosphere systems rather than isolated SOC reservoirs. We conclude that climate change mitigation in woody agroecosystems should be assessed through integrated carbon balance frameworks combining SOC dynamics, biomass turnover, greenhouse gas fluxes, and management pathways within transparent system boundaries. This synthesis highlights the value of Mediterranean olive agroecosystems as representative perennial systems for evaluating climate change mitigation processes.
Gkotsis et al. (Tue,) studied this question.