Estimating carbon emissions from forest fires over a decade in Similipal Biosphere Reserve, India

Abstract

The forest fire is a well-recognized threat to biodiversity and a significant cause of ecological degradation. Fires emit significant amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere. Studies have found that greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires strongly influence climate change. In the present study, the spatio-temporal patterns of forest fires were examined from 2004 to 2013 in Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Eastern Ghats of India. This study focuses on estimation of carbon emissions from forest fires based on IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The total area affected under forest fire has been estimated as 23.7% in 2004, 11.5% in 2005, 24.8% in 2006, 23.5% in 2007 and 18% in 2008, 27.9% in 2009, 16.4% in 2010, 16.3% km2 in 2011, 27% km2 in 2012 and 14% in 2013. CO2 emissions were estimated for tropical vegetation types i.e. semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, high-level Sal, low-level Sal forest, scrub, savannah and grasslands. The total carbon emissions from forest fires in Similipal vary from 0.93 to 1.58 CO2Tgyr−1 during the study. The mean annual rate of carbon emissions was observed to be 1.26 CO2Tgyr−1. Similarly, other trace gases like CO, CH4, N2O and NOx has also been calculated. This study is helpful in formulating conservation plans and thus helps in mitigating the impact of climate change. Considering the global significance of Biosphere Reserves in the conservation of biodiversity, more scientific studies are required to understand the impact of ongoing fire regimes.