Assessing the Contributions of Nypa fruticans wumb in Climate Change Mitigation by Accounting for the Above Ground Carbon Stock within the Douala-Edea National Park, Littoral Region, Cameroon

Abstract

Aim: Nypa fruticans Wurmb is a palm species found in mangrove ecosystems with moderate salt load which circumscribes well to the actual areas of its occurrence in the gradient from seawater habitats to inland sites. This study aimed at carrying out a baseline assessment of above ground carbon stock in stands of Nypa fruticans wurmb.
 Methods: Representative samples of seedlings, juveniles, adults and mature stands were harvested through a destructive sampling technique. These samples were air dried and further oven dried in the laboratory at 105°C until a constant mass was attained. The biomass was then converted to per carbon stock using the published carbon concentration of 0.5 for above-ground biomass.
 Results: Nypa fruticans wurmb has an average estimated carbon per mature frond of 0.77 kg, followed by the adult fronts with average estimated carbon per frond of 0.24 kg, the juvenile records an average carbon per juvenile frond of 0.11 kg and the seedlings with average estimated carbon per seedling frond of 0.02 kg.
 Conclusion: Nypa fruticans wurmb have a relatively small amount of biomass and carbon stock as compared to other woody mangrove species. 
 Recommendations: It is recommended that, carbon in the roots of this palm should be evaluated to complete the required information on this subject. The spread of this palm should be checked due to its negative impact on native mangroves and the indirect adverse effects it poses to climate change mitigation.