Central African forests, carbon and climate change

Climate Research

Jake Brunner¹  Cinde Donoghue¹  , Quanfa Zhang¹  Chris Justice¹  David Wilkie¹ 

关键词: The Congo Basin;    Climate change;    Carbon;    Forest management and policy;   

DOI  :  10.3354/cr017229

来源: Inter-Research Science Publishing

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: The tropical forests of the world are receiving considerable attention in terms of their role in climate change. Not only does tropical land use change provide an important term in balancing the global carbon budget, but tropical forests alsopresent opportunities for carbon trading in the emerging carbon markets. The Congo Basin contains the second largest area of contiguous rainforest in the world, yet for various reasons has received relatively little attention in terms of these climatechange issues. This paper provides an assessment of the current state of the forests of Central Africa, their carbon stock, recent rates of deforestation and a simple predictive model of forest change over the next 60 yr. The roles of agriculture andlogging which are driving deforestation are discussed. The future of the forests, whether for commercial use, carbon trading or biodiversity is inextricably linked to how these valuable resources are managed. Suggestions are made for potential carbontrading projects, forest management strategies and a climate change research agenda for the region. Effective forest monitoring and management are seen as essential components for the economic development of this region.

【 授权许可】

Unknown