Abstract—The role of museum green spaces in urban carbon
sequestration and sustainable development has long been
overlooked. This study investigates the potential ecological
contribution of the National Museum of Natural Science of
Taiwan by employing the i-Tree Canopy tool to estimate carbon
storage and its associated economic value. Through randomized
aerial image sampling and land cover classification, the results
reveal that, by 2025, the museum's landscape contains
approximately 17.84 metric tons of carbon. This corresponds to
an estimated market value of USD 21,360 under Taiwan's
current carbon pricing framework. The findings underscore
that museums, in addition to serving cultural and educational
purposes, can also provide concrete ecological services. In the
context of accelerating carbon pricing policies, such spaces
exhibit significant potential for integration into climate and
sustainability strategies. This study advocates for greater
recognition of the multifunctional role of cultural institutions
and recommends their inclusion in urban carbon management
and climate adaptation planning.
Keywords—green infrastructure, urban forests, urban
carbon sequestration, i-Tree canopy, carbon pricing
Cite: Jen-Chih Chao, Yi-Min Chang, and Ji-Yuan Lin, "Exploring Carbon Sequestration at the National Museum of Natural Science: Sustainability in Nature-Based Educational Landscapes," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 94-100, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).