Ground Carbon Stock Research Articles

Assessing the Contributions of Nypa fruticans wumb in Climate Change Mitigation by Accounting for the Above Ground Carbon Stock within the Douala-Edea National Park, Littoral Region, Cameroon

Aim: Nypa fruticans Wurmb is a palm species found in mangrove ecosystems with moderate salt load which circumscribes well to the actual areas of its occurrence in the gradient from seawater habitats to inland sites. This study aimed at carrying out a baseline assessment of above ground carbon stock in stands of Nypa fruticans wurmb.
 Methods: Representative samples of seedlings, juveniles, adults and mature stands were harvested through a destructive sampling technique. These samples were air dried and further oven dried in the laboratory at 105°C until a constant mass was attained. The biomass was then converted to per carbon stock using the published carbon concentration of 0.5 for above-ground biomass.
 Results: Nypa fruticans wurmb has an average estimated carbon per mature frond of 0.77 kg, followed by the adult fronts with average estimated carbon per frond of 0.24 kg, the juvenile records an average carbon per juvenile frond of 0.11 kg and the seedlings with average estimated carbon per seedling frond of 0.02 kg.
 Conclusion: Nypa fruticans wurmb have a relatively small amount of biomass and carbon stock as compared to other woody mangrove species. 
 Recommendations: It is recommended that, carbon in the roots of this palm should be evaluated to complete the required information on this subject. The spread of this palm should be checked due to its negative impact on native mangroves and the indirect adverse effects it poses to climate change mitigation.

Estimation of Above Ground Carbon Stock Using Airborne Lidar in Yellapur Forest Division of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India

The study was carried out at Yellapur Forest Division, Karnataka, with 86.97% forest area, exploring aboveground carbon (AGC) variations across different forest types and their correlation with LiDAR metrics. Ten one-hectare permanent plots were established, with 3 in dry and moist deciduous each, and 4 in semievergreen forests. All trees with >30 cm girth at breast height were inventoried. AGC estimates were 308.28 mg ha–1 in semi-evergreen, 207.77 mg ha–1 in moist deciduous, and 117.88 mg ha–1 in dry deciduous forests. LiDAR data were acquired using a Nextcore Lumos XM120 UAV LiDAR system. In dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests, the 95th height percentile correlated strongly with observed AGC, yielding predicted AGC values of 118.56 mg ha–1 and 208.86 mg ha–1, with R2 values of 0.91 and 0.83, respectively. Conversely, in semi-evergreen forests, the 50th height percentile outperformed other metrics, resulting in a predicted AGC of 310.90 mg ha–1 (R2 =0.57).

Application of Remote Sensing and GIS to Estimate Above Ground Carbon Stock Changes to Support Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Mijen Sub-District, Semarang, Indonesia

Changes of vegetated land to built-up land will affect the above ground carbon (AGC) stocks in an area. These changes have an impact on climate change. This study aimed to estimate AGC stocks changes in Mijen Sub-District during 2017-2022. Mijen Sub-District is one of the suburban areas of Semarang City which has the main function as the lungs of the city. To determine the AGC stock, remote sensing data and GIS analysis are used. The results showed that during 2017-2022 AGC stock in the area decreased by 3,234.24-ton C. Estimation of changes of AGC stocks in Mijen Sub-District needed as a reference for local governments for policy making in regional and urban planning that integrates sustainable development.

Below ground carbon stock and carbon sequestration potentials of mangrove sediments in Eastern Niger Delta, Nigeria: Implication for climate change

The carbon sequestration capacity and climate change mitigation potentials of mangrove sediments in eastern Niger Delta were investigated. The aim was to determine the carbon stock in the sediments as a measure of carbon sequestration. A total of 312 sediment samples were obtained from 24 sampling 100 cm deep borings at seven locations using an open-cylindrical gouge auger of 100-cm length and 5-cm diameter. The procedures for field sampling, laboratory analysis and result presentation followed protocols for forest carbon measurement, monitoring and reporting. The lithology at the site, which is a major control on the distribution of organic carbon, included peat, peaty clay, and clayey peat with pockets of sands. Sediment bulk density (SBD), organic carbon concentration (%C), were used to estimate the organic carbon stock, carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), and to calculate carbon sequestration rate (CSR) and sequestration potential (CSP). Mean values of SBD were 1.30 g/cm3) and 12.48 %) respectively. Similarly, carbon averaged 39.80 Mg ha–1. The total carbon stock of the study area was estimated at 199,617.36 ± 55.64 Mg C, equivalent to 732,595.71 ± 55.64 Mg CO2. CSR was estimated at 4.54 g C cm–2 yr–1 while CSP of mangrove sediments was estimated at 21.56 Mg C yr–1. The result showed that 732,595.71 ± 55.64 Mg of carbon dioxide could either be removed or released to the atmosphere by the mangrove forest of Niger Delta through forest management practices and/or degradation. The study reinforces the need for the protection of mangroves against all anthropogenic-related degradation to improve carbon sequestration potential and achieve target in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13.

Exposure to canopy fire reduces the biomass and stability of carbon stored in fire tolerant eucalypt forests

Short-interval high severity wildfires threaten the stability of carbon stocks across forest communities, particularly those dominated by ‘fire-sensitive’ trees. However, there is a dearth of research on the effect of these extreme fires on forests dominated by ‘fire-tolerant’ tree species that can resprout from their trunk and branches i.e. epicormic resprouters. We assessed the effect of the severity of two wildfires occurring in short succession (6-year interval) on live and dead above ground carbon stocks (≥2.5 cm diameter) and carbon stability (i.e. the proportion of total carbon stored in live trees) in a temperate eucalypt forest dominated by epicormic resprouters. Four factorial combinations of low severity understorey fire and high severity canopy fire were examined across two wildfires. Carbon stocks were estimated using two approaches, a standard approach that assigns trees to the live and dead pools based on the presence of live foliage, and a novel approach that accounts for partial mortality of branches and stems. When accounting for partial tree mortality, total carbon stocks were greatest following repeated understorey fire and lowest in areas that had recently experienced canopy fire irrespective of canopy fire frequency. Trends in total carbon were driven by substantial reductions in live carbon following canopy fire, which were partially offset by gains in the standing dead carbon pool. Exposure to canopy fire reduced the proportion of carbon stored in live trees, increasing the susceptibility of carbon stocks to future losses through decomposition and consumption by fire. Relative to sites recently exposed to a single canopy fire, exposure to repeated canopy fires did not result in further reductions to carbon stocks or their stability. The standard carbon estimates substantially overestimated live carbon (+59 %) and underestimated dead carbon (-52 %) in areas recently affected by canopy fire, thus underestimating the impact of high severity fires on carbon stability. Our results suggest that carbon stocks in forests dominated by epicormic resprouters are sensitive to losses following canopy fire but are resistant to compounding effects of short-interval high severity fires, owing to the survival of large live stems. Our results highlight the need to account for partial tree mortality and feedbacks between short-interval wildfires when estimating transitions between carbon pools in fire tolerant forests.

APPLICATION OF VEGETATION INDEXES TO ASSESS CARBON STOCK

This was objectively conducted to estimate the carbon stock, to show the relation between carbon stock and indices and to assess the factors affecting carbon stock in community forests. Three community forests (CFs) namely Gumalchowki, Mahakalsthan and Mahalaxmi of Chandragiri Municipality in Nepal were selected as research sites. Altogether 135 plots were randomly established to collect data from the field. The biomass was calculated using Chave et al., equation which was converted into carbon stock multiplying by default value 0.47. The values of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Difference Vegetation Index (DVI) and Infrared Percentage Vegetation Index (IPVI) were calculated and regression equation between the indices and carbon stock was performed. The result showed that total above ground carbon stock was highest in Mahalaxmi CF with 30.42 ton/ha, followed by Mahakalsthan CF with 22.62 ton/ha and comparatively lowest with 21.55 ton/ha in Gumalchowki CF. The regression analysis between carbon stock and indices showed significantly and positive correlation. The R2 value of NDVI of Gumalchowki, Mahakalsthan and Mahalaxmi CF were found to be 0.51, 0.54 and 0.58, also, RMSE value of CFs were 1.41, 1.36 and 1.91 respectively. Principal component analysis showed that road construction, transmission line expansion, soil erosion, encroachment, disease, weeds, recreation, illegal logging are the major factors affecting carbon stock in all three community forests. Keywords: Carbon, Nepal, Community Forests.

Community structure and potential carbon stock of mangrove forest in Malek Village, Paloh District, Sambas Regency, Indonesia

Mangrove forest in Sambas Regency is experiencing several pressures, both naturally and due to land use conversion into settlements, ponds and others. This study aims to analyze the structure of the mangrove community and the existing condition of mangrove forest in Malek Village, Sambas Regency. The research was conducted through vegetation analysis and a remote sensing approach. Estimation of carbon stock was done by using available allometric equations. Remote sensing data used in this study was from Sentinel-2 MSI image. The data was used to obtain information of the area and distribution of mangrove species. Results showed that there were two dominant true mangrove species at the site, namely Avicennia marina (IVI = 212.80) and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (IVI = 187.20). Based on the results of the analysis, the area of mangrove in the location is 368.41 ha, with a dense category of 63.25%, medium 27.55%, and sparse 9.19%. The estimated value of above ground carbon stock of mangrove vegetation ranges from 23.09 ± 2.30 to 49.23 ± 2.59 Mg C ha-1. The mangrove forest area in Malek Village has good potential, it can be assessed from the density of mangroves, area, the thickness of mangroves, minimum damage, and potential carbon stocks stored.Indonesian title: Struktur komunitas dan potensi cadangan karbon di kawasan hutan mangrove Desa Malek, Kecamatan Paloh, Kabupaten Sambas, Indonesia

Quantification of Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Carbon Stock, Help to Mitigate Climate Change in the Western Plateau Forest Division of Jharkhand

Quantification of Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Carbon Stock, Help to Mitigate Climate Change in the Western Plateau Forest Division of Jharkhand

Vegetation and Soil Carbon Pool in Chirpine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) Forest of Mahabharat Hill, Nepal

This study analyzed the vegetation and soil carbon stock in natural forest in Mahabharat hill of Bagmati Province, Pinus roxburghii Nepal. Systematic random sampling method was applied for forest inventory and forest biomass was estimated by using standard allometric models. Soil samples were taken from soil profile up to 60 cm depth at the interval of 20 cm. Total carbon stock in forest was Pinus roxburghii found 193.54 t ha and 226.54 t ha for Aphnai CF and Okhe CF, respectively. Among the carbon pools carbon stock was found in the order of -1 -1 above ground carbon stock > soil organic carbon stock > below ground carbon stock for both CF. The forest carbon stock showed a positive relationship with biomass, tree diameter, and height but no relationship with tree density. The study concluded that forest vegetation and soil can play vital role on carbon sequestration and subsequently mitigating the problem of global warming.

Carbon Stock in above and below Ground Biomass of Three Age Series of Pinus carribaea and Nauclea diderrichii Plantations; Omo Forest, Area J4 Ogun State, Nigeria

Forest carbon is identified in three major pools that is, above and below ground living vegetation, dead organic matter and soil organic carbon whose quantities have been identified for few forest types. The study investigated the carbon stock in above and below ground biomass in three age series of Pinus (1991, 1992 and 1996) and Nauclea (1974, 1975 and 1976) plantations at area J4, Ogun state Nigeria. Five plots of 20m x 20m dimension were randomly laid making a total of 30 plots. Diameter at breast height and height were measured using diameter tape and Spiegel Relaskop respectively. Soil samples were collected in each plantation at 0–15cm and 15–30cm depth with the aid of soil auger and laboratory analysis carried out. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model of SAS software. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan Multiple Range Test was used to separate means and correlation analysis was carried out. Above ground was estimated using Brown et al. (1989) equation {Y= 34.4703- 8.0671 (DBH) + 0.6589(DBH2)} and below ground biomass was also estimated as 20% of above ground biomass. Result showed that Organic carbon stored up in the soil was highest (3.05±0.52g/kg) in Nauclea plantation (1975). Pinus plantation (1996) had a higher total carbon stock (1166.35ton/ha) than Nauclea plantation (1976) with (380.41ton/ha). Pinus plantation (1996) had the highest above ground biomass, below ground biomass and carbon dioxide concentration (728966.19, 160372.56 and 4198845.28/ha) lowest (227644.66, 50081.83 and 1311233.26/ha), Pinus plantation (1992) respectively. Variation in the above ground carbon stock among these plantations could be result of tree stand density, hence, higher number of trees in a plantation will eventually result to high above ground carbon stock of that plantation.

Past Logging and Wildfire Increase above Ground Carbon Stock Losses from Subsequent Wildfire

Background: Wildfire is known to reduce forest carbon stocks, but the influence of antecedent disturbance on wildfire related carbon stock losses is not as well understood. Disturbances such as logging and wildfire may increase the vulnerability of remaining carbon stocks to subsequent wildfire. Conversely, these disturbances may reduce the impact of subsequent wildfire, resulting in lower carbon stock losses. Methods: We measured above ground carbon stocks in productive resprouting Eucalypt dominated forests before and after a mixed severity fire that burned during the 2019/20 ‘Black Summer’ fire season in south-eastern Australia. The initial surveys were stratified by time since logging and time since wildfire, allowing for an assessment of how these disturbance histories influence above ground carbon stock losses caused by subsequent wildfire. Results: Above ground carbon stock losses varied substantially; however, there was a weak decrease in losses associated with time since logging but not time since wildfire. Variance in carbon stock losses associated with logging were greater than that caused by the severity of the 2019/20 wildfire itself. Carbon losses and predicted effects of disturbance may be underestimated in some cases due to the accumulation of carbon at sites between pre- and post-fire surveys. Conclusions: This study presents the largest published dataset of direct carbon stock changes resulting from wildfire in eucalypt forests. Our findings indicate that logging reduces the stability of above ground carbon stocks in resprouting eucalypt forests. This information will be critical for land managers looking to manage forests for carbon sequestration.

Forest restoration enhances plant diversity and carbon stock in the sub-tropical forests of western Himalaya

In the present study we compared the community composition, structure, regeneration status and carbon stock of a human managed arboretum (restoration site) during three decades with a natural forest in western Himalaya. Results reveal that ecological restoration activities in the arboretum enhanced the species richness of woody plants by 66.4% with a total of 125 species as compared to 42 species in natural forest. Similarly, above ground carbon stock in the arboretum was ∼38% higher (49.5 Mg/ha) as compared to the natural forest (30.8 Mg/ha). Plantation success in the arboretum was ∼52% with a higher survival rate for temperate and Himalayan native species. Tree density in the arboretum was 322.6/ha with 50% higher density of small girth trees (<50 cm gbh) as compared to the natural forest with a tree density of 184/ha. Similarly, basal area was 41.5% higher in the arboretum (23.8 m2/ha) as compared to the natural forest (13.9 m2/ha). In case of the ground vegetation layer, shrubs, saplings and seedlings show a density of 23.5, 12.2 and 7.6 individuals/25 m2 in the arboretum as compared to 10.1, 3.0 and 4.1 individuals/25 m2 in the natural forest. Hence, our results indicate that the ecological restoration in the sub-tropical forests of the western Himalaya contribute 1.36% annual increment of above ground carbon stock in addition to improvement of the community composition, structure and regeneration in the forest. Therefore, similar institutional restoration projects have ample potential for reducing carbon emissions to mitigate the climate change impact. Such projects will aid in the implementation of the national commitment for REDD+ goals in addition to biodiversity conservation in the Himalaya.

Bunker Oksigen Dan Karbon (Bok) Di Lingkungan Sekolah Sebagai Penyimpan Karbon, Manfaat, Dan Nilai Ekonominya

The impacts of pollution and climate change occurred in global and local communities, including at school environment. Uncomfortable school environment due to pollution and school damage due to sea-level rise interferes with learning processes and reduces students' academic performance. A new approach of a school greening programme called Bunkers of Oxygen and Carbon (BOCs) was developed in a public school (SMA Negeri 3 Merauke) in Merauke, Papua using a thematic approach to mitigate pollution and climate change. The research showed that carbon storage of BOCs is mean 74 Mg ha-1 . This is equal with carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of mean 271 Mg CO2e ha-1. The capacity of BOCs as carbon storage can be optimized due to the age of vegetation in BOCs is only four years old, and below ground carbon stock was measured only up to 50 cm depth. The amount of carbon stock in BOCs was influenced by vegetation health (tree density and canopy coverage) and vegetation structure (tree diameter and height) in the BOCs (r2 = 0.56, p = 0.001). The mean economic value of carbon stocks in the BOCs was US $ 189 billion ha-1. This economic value may underestimate as many benefits and functions of the BOCs were excluded from the calculation. BOCs have ecological functions as a habitat for many wildlife species, various ecosystem services, recreational areas, aesthetic values, oxygen supply, and a place to improve creativity and as natural laboratories for practice and learning from nature. Therefore, the development of BOCs in the school environment across Indonesia is important as the functions and benefits are crucial to mitigate pollution and climate change, improve the learning process and the quality of national education.

Green Space Assessment and Management in Biscay Province, Spain using Remote Sensing Technology

Our ecosystem, particularly forest lands, contains huge amounts of carbon storage in the world today. This study estimated the above ground biomass and carbon stock in the green space of Bilbao Spain using remote sensing technology. Landsat ETM+ and OLI satellite images for year 1999, 2009 and 2019 were used to assess its land use land cover (LULC), change detection, spectral indices and model biomass based on linear regression. The result of the LULC showed that there was an increase in forest vegetation by 12.5% from 1999 to 2009 and a further increase by 2.3% in 2019. However, plantation cover had decreased by 3.5% from 1999–2009; while wetlands had also decreased by 9% within the same period. There was, however, an increase in plantation cover from 2009 to 2019 by 2.1% but a further decrease in wetlands of 4.3%. Further results revealed a positive correlation across the three decades between the widely used Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) with other spectral indices such as Enhance Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Differential Moisture Index (NDMI) for biomass were: for 1999 EVI (R2 = 0.1826), NDMI (R2 = 0.0117), for 2009 EVI (R2 = 0.2192), NDMI (R2 = 0.3322), for 2019EVI (R2 = 0.1258), NDMI (R2 = 0.8148). A reduction in the total carbon stock from 14,221.94 megatons in 1999 to 10,342.44 megatons 2019 was observed. This study concluded that there has been a reduction in the amount of carbon which the Biscay Forest can sequester.

Models to estimate the above and below ground carbon stocks from a subtropical scrub forest of Pakistan

Despite an increased number of studies on carbon stock estimates from tropical and temperate forests, little information is available for subtropical forests, although they constitute a significant proportion of global forest cover. In this present study, we aimed to assess the above- and below ground biomass allocation strategies and carbon stocks of Acacia modesta and Olea ferruginea, which co-dominate a subtropical dry forest in Pakistan covering approximately 1.6 Mha. This scrub forest has been subjected to mining, overgrazing, and other anthropogenic activities resulting in the loss of trees and habitat degradation. For the assessment of biomass and carbon stock, 11 trees of each species representing the diameter range of 10–52 cm at 1.3 m height were harvested. The harvested A. modesta and O. ferruginea trees showed 80% and 82% of biomass in the above-ground parts and 20% and 18% to below ground parts respectively. We developed power models from the destructive harvest data for both the above- and below-ground biomass components to assess the tree-level carbon. Furthermore, we also estimated the carbon content in the leaves, roots, and shoots of both species by using a carbon analyzer, which ranged from 43.42% to 46.50%. Using the developed models, we found that the total carbon stock was 49.82 t ha−1 in the studied forest with a basal area of 27 m2 ha−1, consisting of 568 trees ha−1. This study provides useful information about the tissue carbon content, on-site models for estimating the above- and below ground biomass and carbon stock in two dominant species from a subtropical dry forest, which can be applied to estimate the carbon stock of forests in arid climate.

Impact of Ex-Closure in above and below Ground Carbon Stock Biomass

Globally, there is a serious issue in carbon stock due to high deforestation and the loss of land, limited carbon storage pools in aboveground and underground forests in different regions, and increased carbon emissions to the atmosphere. This review paper highlights the impact of exclosures on above and below ground carbon stocks in biomass as a solution to globally curb carbon emissions. The data has been analyzed dependent on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forest Resource Assessment report (FRA, 2020), and scientific journal publications mostly from the last decade, to show the research results of carbon stock and the impact of exclosures, particularly the challenges of deforestation and erosion of land and opportunities of area exclosures to provide a general outlook for policymakers. Overall, the world’s forest regions are declining, and although the forest loss rate has slowed, it has still not stopped sufficiently because the knowledge and practice of exclosures are limited. The global forest loss and carbon stock have decreased from 7.8 million ha/yr to 4.7 million ha/yr and from 668 gigatons to 662 gigatons respectively due to multiple factors that differ across the regions. However, a move toward natural rehabilitation and exclosures to reduce the emissions of Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) is needed. In the global production of carbon, the exclosure of forests plays an important role, in particular for permanent sinks of carbon.

Machine learning for carbon stock prediction in a tropical forest in Southeastern Brazil

The increasing awareness of global climate change has drawn attention to the role of forests as mitigators of this process as they act as carbon sinks to the atmosphere. Understanding the process of carbon storage in forests and its drivers, as well as presenting consistent models for their estimation, is a current demand. In this sense, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of machine learning techniques: support vector machines (SVM) and to propose a new nonlinear model extracted from the training of an artificial neural network (ANN) in the modeling of above ground carbon stock in a secondary semideciduous forest. SVM and ANN construction and training process considered independent variables selected by stepwise: minimum DBH (diameter of breast height - 1.3 m), maximum DBH, mean DBH, total height and number of trees, all by plot. SVM and the model extracted from ANN were applied to the data set intended for validation. Both techniques presented satisfactory performance in modeling carbon stock by plot, with homogeneous distribution and low dispersion of residues and predicted values close to those observed. Analysis criteria indicated superior performance of the model extracted from the artificial neural network, which presented a mean relative error of 6.94 %, while the support vector machine presented 13.52 %, combined with lower bias values and higher correlation between predictions and observations.

Monitoring Carbon Stock and Land-Use Change in 5000-Year-Old Juniper Forest Stand of Ziarat, Balochistan, through a Synergistic Approach

The Juniper forest reserve of Ziarat is one of the biggest Juniperus forests in the world. This study assessed the land-use changes and carbon stock of Ziarat. Different types of carbon pools were quantified in terms of storage in the study area in tons/ha i.e., above ground, soil, shrubs and litter. The Juniper species of this forest is putatively called Juniperus excelsa Beiberstein. To estimate above-ground biomass, different allometric equations were applied. Average above ground carbon stock of the forest was estimated as 8.34 ton/ha, 7.79 ton/ha and 8.4 ton/ha using each equation. Average carbon stock in soil, shrubs and litter was calculated as 24.35 ton/ha, 0.05 ton/ha and 1.52 ton/ha, respectively. Based on our results, soil carbon stock in the Juniper forest of Ziarat came out to be higher than the living biomass. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal classified maps for Ziarat showed that forest area has significantly decreased, while agricultural and barren lands increased from 1988 to 2018. This was supported by the fact that estimated carbon stock also showed a decreasing pattern between the evaluation periods of 1988 to 2018. Furthermore, the trend for land use and carbon stock was estimated post 2018 using a linear prediction model. The results corroborate the assumption that under a business as usual scenario, it is highly likely that the Juniperus forest will severely decline.

The effects of seaward distance on above and below ground carbon stocks in estuarine mangrove ecosystems

BackgroundMangrove forests have gained recognition for their potential role in climate change mitigation due to carbon sequestration in live trees, and carbon storage in the sediments trapped by mangrove tree roots and pneumatophores. Africa hosts about 19% of the world’s mangroves, yet relatively few studies have examined the carbon stocks of African mangroves. The available studies report considerable differences among sites and amongst the different pools of carbon stocks. None considered the effects of seaward distance. We present details of AGC and SOC carbon stocks for Lindi in Tanzania, and focus on how these values differ with increasing seaward distance and, how our results compare to those reported elsewhere across Africa.ResultsAGC ranged between 11 and 55 Mg C ha−1, but was not significantly affected by seaward distance. SOC for 0–1 m depth ranged from 154 to 484, with a mean of 302 Mg C ha−1. SOC was significantly negatively correlated with seaward distance. Mangrove type (estuarine/oceanic), soil erosion, soil depth may explain these differences We note important methodological differences in previous studies on carbon stocks in mangroves in Africa.ConclusionThis study indicates that seaward distance has an important effect on SOC stocks in the Lindi region of Tanzania. SOC should be fully incorporated into national climate change mitigation policies. Studies should report seaward distance and to describe the type of mangrove stand to make results easily comparable across sites and to assess the true value of Blue Carbon in Africa. We recommend focusing on trees > 10 cm diameter for AGC, and sampling soils to at least 1 m depth for SOC, which would provide a more complete assessment of the potentially considerable mangrove carbon store.

Application of Remote Sensing for Ex Ante Decision Support and Evaluating Impact

Deforestation is an environmental stressor that dramatically threatens biodiversity while having adverse, deep-rooted, socioeconomic impacts. Interventions to address deforestation require considerable long-term investments; therefore, assessing their impact is crucial. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity encourages establishing protected areas (PAs) as a strategy to conserve biodiversity, secure ecosystem services, support local livelihoods, and reduce climate change impacts. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported the conservation and management of PAs, yet site accessibility and data availability present challenges in assessing PAs using traditional evaluation methods. We present a novel application of satellite Earth observations for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of PAs as a deforestation mitigation strategy. Geospatial analysis and ecological forecasting methodologies provide an efficient way to quantify land cover change, estimate above ground carbon stock, and evaluate ecosystem services provided by the PAs ex ante. We demonstrate the value of a geospatial approach through the evaluation of GEF-supported PAs in Kenya.