Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Remote Sensing and Field Data in the Wari-Maro Forest Reserve and Its Periphery (Benin)

Abstract

Land use affects the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems, thus affecting greenhouse gas fluxes. Greenhouse gas emissions were assessed in the Wari-Maro Forest Reserve (FCWM) and its periphery between 2005 and 2020. To achieve this, the methodological approach applied is based on the use of activity data (AD) from 2005 and 2020 land use and land cover maps derived from satellite images and emission factors (EF) from forest inventory data conducted in 2005 and 2020. The analysis of the results shows that the peripheral zone has the highest emission factor evaluated at 87.22 t.eq-CO2 /ha/year against 47.37 t.eq-CO2/ha/year recorded in the Forest Reserve. The total CO2 emissions due to deforestation in the Forest Reserve are 5106.78 t.eq-CO2/ha/year against a global emission of 65402.23 t.eq-CO2/ha/year for the periphery. This high emission of the peripheral area is due to the result of the high anthropogenic pressure in this area. Those due to degradation are 2880.53 t.eq-CO2/ha/year in the Forest Reserve against 1049.67 t.eq-CO2/ha/year in the periphery. The amount of CH4 and N2O increases progressively from the Forest Reserve (319.49 t.eq-CO2/ha/year and 26.80 t.eq-CO2/ha/year) to the periphery (2658.08 t.eq-CO2ha/year and 222.99 t.eq-CO2/ha/year) probably due to the extent of agricultural and livestock production activities in this area.