Abstract
Deforested and converted tropical peat swamp forests are susceptible to fires and are a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, information on the influence of land-use change (LUC) on the carbon dynamics in these disturbed peat forests is limited. This study aimed to quantify soil respiration (heterotrophic and autotrophic), net primary production (NPP), and net ecosystem production (NEP) in peat swamp forests, partially logged forests, early seral grasslands (deforested peat), and smallholder-oil palm estates (converted peat). Peat swamp forests (PSF) showed similar soil respiration with logged forests (LPSF) and oil palm (OP) estates (37.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, 40.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, and 38.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively), but higher than early seral (ES) grassland sites (30.7 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1). NPP of intact peat forests (13.2 Mg C ha−1 yr−1) was significantly greater than LPSF (11.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), ES (10.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1), and OP (3.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1). Peat swamp forests and seral grasslands were net carbon sinks (10.8 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and 9.1 CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively). In contrast, logged forests and oil palm estates were net carbon sources; they had negative mean Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) values (−0.1 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and −25.1 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1, respectively). The shift from carbon sinks to sources associated with land-use change was principally due to a decreased Net Primary Production (NPP) rather than increased soil respiration. Conservation of the remaining peat swamp forests and rehabilitation of deforested peatlands are crucial in GHG emission reduction programs.
Highlights
Around 44 Mha out of all worldwide peatlands (400 Mha) lies in tropical nations, of which about 15 to 21 Mha are in Indonesia [1]
It was lower in Early seral (ES) sites than in LPSF sites by 10 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and lower than in oil palm estates (OP) sites by 8 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 (p < 0.05) (Table 2 and Figure 3)
Similar total soil and heterotrophic respiration were measured in the intact forests, logged forests, and oil palm estates (p > 0.05)
Summary
Around 44 Mha out of all worldwide peatlands (400 Mha) lies in tropical nations, of which about 15 to 21 Mha are in Indonesia [1]. A recent study updated the estimate of the total peatlands in Indonesia that is 13.4 Mha [2]. Tropical peatland ecosystems are among the largest ecosystem carbon (C) stocks on earth, with about 82–92 PgC [3,4], The largest peatland area is on the island of Borneo (≈6.8 Mha) [5]. Tropical peatland forests have significantly been affected by deforestation, forest degradation, and land conversion [6,7]. Carbon stocks of tropical peatlands have been estimated to range from 81.7 to 91.9 Pg or about 15–19% of all global peat C stocks (610 Pg) [8].
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