Replacing much of Australia’s beef and veal with kangaroo meat could significantly cut the continent’s greenhouse gas emissions and save its native terrain, according to a new proposal.

A recent study suggests phasing out some 7 million cattle and 36 million sheep from Australian rangelands—semiarid land that doesn’t naturally produce the grass that grazing animals require—and replacing them with kangaroos.

Because of their unique gut microbes, kangaroos emit much less methane than sheep and cattle, said lead author George Wilson, of Canberra consultancy Australian Wildlife Services.

“Methane is a very dangerous greenhouse gas—much more potent than carbon dioxide,” he said.

Sheep and cattle are responsible for about 11 percent of Australian agricultural emissions, according to a government survey. Each cow produces 1.84 metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalents a year, and each sheep gives off more than 300 pounds (140 kilograms).

Kangaroos, meanwhile, emit less than seven pounds (three kilograms) of greenhouse gases. Under the study’s proposal, that could translate into savings of 16 million tons of greenhouse gases annually—or 3 percent of Australia’s total emissions. 

Source: National Geographic