Assessment of land use cover changes, carbon sequestration and carbon stock in dry temperate forests of Chilas watershed, Gilgit-Baltistan

A Raqeeb,L Ansari,M Malik,S M Nazami,M Naqash,F Khalid,M W Muhammad,A Saleem

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.253821

Abstract

Abstract Land use and land cover change are affecting the global environment and ecosystems of the different biospheres. Monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of these changes is of utmost importance as they often results in several global environmental consequences such as land degradation, mass erosion, habitat deterioration as well as micro and macro climate of the regions. The advance technologies like remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) are helpful in determining/ identifying these changes. In the current study area, changes in carbon stocks, notably in forest areas, are resulting in considerable dynamics of carbon stocks as a result of climate change and carbon sequestration. This study was carried out in the Diamer district of the Gilgit Baltistan (GB) Pakistan to investigate the change in cover change/land use change (particularly Forest Land use) as well as carbon sequestration potential of the forests in the district during almost last 25years. The land cover, temporal Landsat data (level 1, LIT) were downloaded from the USGS EROS (2016), for 1979-1989, 1990-2000 and 2001-2012. Change in land uses, particularly forest cover was investigated using GIS techniques. Forest inventory was carried out using random sampling techniques. A standard plot of size 0.1 ha (n=80) was laid out to determine the tree density, volume, biomass and C stocks. Simulation of C stocks was accomplished by application of the CO2FIX model with the data input from inventory. Results showed a decrease in both forest and snow cover in the region from 1979-2012. Similarly decrease was seen in tree volume, tree Biomass, dynamics of C Stocks and decrease was in occur tree density respectively. It is recommended we need further more like project such as BTAP (Billion Tree Afforestation Project) and green Pakistan project to increase the forest cover, to control on land use change, protect forest ecosystem and to protect snow cover.

Highlights

Forest cover is defined as the land covered by vegetation for more than 10 years (FAO, 2001)
The dynamics of all six land use/land cover changes are separating into different sorts, such as snow covered land; bare soils, forest land, bush/grassland, agricultural land and water bodies during the year 1979-89, 1989 to 2000 and 2000-2012
The image‐processing approach was found to be effective in producing compatible LULC data over time, irrespective of the differences in spatial, spectral and radiometric resolution of the satellite data

Summary

Introduction

Forest cover is defined as the land covered by vegetation for more than 10 years (FAO, 2001). The vegetation cover of the earth is greatly affected by the anthropogenic activities during the last few decades (Fang et al, 2018). Such activities are having considerable effects on human health, and of the resilience of the ecosystem which leading to climate change by certain processes (Lamichhane, 2008). These natural resources are not consumed and utilized with any sort of planning and scientific management (Prell et al, 2009). After ratifying the REDD+ by Pakistan in April 2011, many projects were carried out in the country to enhance carbon sequestration in the forests (Nizami, 2010)

Methods

Results

Conclusion