Carbon stock of Agoro Agu Central Forest reserve, in Lamwo district, Northern Uganda

Abstract

Terrestrial ecosystems such as forest landscapes provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, fundamental to people, society and the global climate change discourse. Just like moist forest, dry Afromontane forests too present a high carbon sequestration potential. However, Uganda has since not undertaken carbon stock inventories for these conservation areas, especially with dry Afromontane forests like Agoro-agu central forest reserve (CFR). So, their potential to capture and store carbon is yet to be understood in Uganda. This study was carried out to estimate carbon stock of Agoro-agu CFR, for its potential in climate change mitigation. A stratified sampling design was used, where 65 sample plots were established. Nested, fixed area circular sample plots with sub-plots of varying radii for tree height, diameter measurements and soil sampling, were used. The mean total carbon stock of Agoro-agu CFR was estimated at 606.7 Mg C ha−1, for which 409, 72, 124 and 0.24 Mg C ha−1 was stored as above ground carbon, below ground carbon, soil organic carbon and carbon in litter herbs and grass respectively. The study illustrates the carbon sequestration potential of the forest reserve for any results-based payment projects for climate change mitigation. This is mainly due to the interventions through collaborative forest management arrangements and the pro-poor reducing emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) pilot project in the landscape. This however, calls for more multi-stakeholders’ collaboration from direct resource users to national level to enhance forest conservation and reduce forest degradation for sustainable resource benefits and other ecosystem services.