Chapter 12 - Assessment of soil organic carbon stocks in Sahyadri mountain range Karnataka, India

Abstract

Globally, soil carbon sequestration has emerged as a key strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change. To investigate soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in natural forests, particularly permanent preservation plots (PPP) in the Sahyadri Mountains, which are known as biodiversity hotspots and have a high potential for soil carbon sequestration, which serves as a carbon sink. The order of SOC stocks includes wet evergreen and moist deciduous forest types, as well as comparisons with agricultural and degraded land-use types. A depth-wise soil profile was analyzed for SOC stocks found highest in PPP 40.09kg/m3 followed by agricultural land 25.30kg/m3 and least in degraded land 11.40kg/m3. This chapter focuses on the interdependence of soil and forest in the mountainous biome, where there are few or no human interventions. As we all share a common future, this aids in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).