Abstract
BackgroundIn the face of climate change and global warming, scientists globally are striving for effective techniques on how best to sequester carbon in order to reduce global warming and achieve environmental sustainability. This paper reviews the available literature on the influence of various land use changes on gains and/or losses of soil carbon (C) stocks in Ethiopia.ResultsOur review indicated that 33.3% of the studies reported soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, 13.9% reported only SOC stock while 52.8% reported both SOC concentration and stock. Studies focusing on 0–30 cm only were 44%, other studies extending up to 40 to 100 cm were 50%, and studies extending to more than 100 cm accounted for 2.8% while studies without any depth specification accounted for 2.8%. Irrespective of soil type, C stocks in the top soil (0–30 cm) were found to be higher than at subsoil depths. Even though there is significant improvement in C sequestration in exclosures and community forests, the level of C sequestered is still below that of church forests.ConclusionConversion of native forest to other land uses resulted in a significant decrease in the SOC stocks across Ethiopia. Absence of long-term field trials and non-existence of SOC database are among the major drawbacks of SOC studies in Ethiopia identified in this review. With better management practices, it is possible to restore depleted C concentrations and stocks even in degraded lands and to conserve C in more pristine lands across the rugged landscapes of Ethiopia.
Highlights
Rapid deforestation and degradation of forest resources remains a major problem in Ethiopia were effects of climate change is highly being experienced and according to World Bank (2010), Ethiopia remains one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change
Studies focusing on 0– 30 cm only were 44%, other studies extending up to 40 to 100 cm were 50%, and studies extending more than 100 cm accounted for 2.8% while studies without any depth specification accounted for 2.8% (Table 3)
Unsustainable land management practices being practiced in many locations in Ethiopia have been found to be a key factor in the increased Carbon oxide (CO2) emissions in the country
Summary
Rapid deforestation and degradation of forest resources remains a major problem in Ethiopia were effects of climate change (for example increase in average temperature, and variability in rainfall pattern) is highly being experienced and according to World Bank (2010), Ethiopia remains one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Depletion of SOC pool has led to estimated loss of 78 ± 12 Pg C to the atmosphere (Lal 2004a). Lal (2004a) estimated that soils under cultivation have lost approximately one-half to two-thirds of the native SOC pool in addition to cumulative loss of 30–40 Mg C/ha. It is well documented in the literature that soil C depletion is aggravated by soil degradation and worsened by soil mismanagement and land misuse (Lal 2002; Lal 2004a, 2004b; Powlson et al 2011; Stockmann et al 2013) predisposing the soil as a source of C emission. This paper reviews the available literature on the influence of various land use changes on gains and/ or losses of soil carbon (C) stocks in Ethiopia
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