Abstract
Carbon storage and sequestration is one of the most important services provided by forest ecosystems, the most powerful tools for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Its value is not always captured and appreciated at a fair level, with people taking for granted these benefits provided by the ecosystems. Our first objective was to evaluate the amount of carbon storage and sequestration within a specific area—Retezat National Park (RNP), Romania, in a specific timeframe, using mainly the data from forest management plans. The second objective was to estimate the economic value of the carbon sequestered by the ecosystems within the national park. Based on the carbon market price, we calculated the monetary value of the sequestered carbon. The third objective was to cross-validate the model using mobile terrestrial LiDAR scanner 3D mapping technology in several field plots. Our results reveal comparable stocks of carbon with the ones modelled based on the forest management plans, enabling us to use these plans as an accurate source of information. The present study underlines that the financial effort for the management of the ecosystems which provide these services can be sustained by implementing financial mechanisms aiming to direct ecosystem services values into the management of these ecosystems.
Highlights
Forests include the most important carbon pool within the terrestrial ecosystems [1,2], playing a substantial role in the climate change mitigation process [3]
The geo-spatial data from the forest management plan enhanced the results extracted with the Carbon model from InVEST
It can be observed that the pastures and most of the non-forest areas in the national park did not perform as carbon storage, most of them were classified in the lowest category with only 0–2 Mg/pixel
Summary
Forests include the most important carbon pool within the terrestrial ecosystems [1,2], playing a substantial role in the climate change mitigation process [3]. They need to adapt to these changes to be able to provide efficient ecosystem services for human wellbeing [4]. Biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, resource depletion, and climate change have intensified in recent decades and have reached an unprecedented level in human history [5]. The focus on forests and biological diversity associated with these ecosystems has moved up on the agenda of European policy makers due to the release of documents such as the European Green Deal, the 2030 Climate
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