Organic Carbon Stocks of Mexican Montane Habitats: Variation Among Vegetation Types and Land-Use

Frontiers in Environmental Science

María Fernanda Adame¹  Alicia Mastretta-Yanes²  Daniel Piñero²  Edgar J. González⁴  Rachael H. Nolan⁵  Nancy Gálvez-Reyes⁶  Alfredo Villarruel-Arroyo⁶  Nadia S. Santini⁶  Betzabeth Olivares-Resendiz⁷  Catherine E. Lovelock⁸ 

[1] Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia;Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, Mexico City, Mexico;Cátedra Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico City, Mexico;Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico;Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia;Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico;Programa de Licenciatura en Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico;School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia;

关键词: carbon credits;    forest conservation;    forest management;    conifer forest;    alpine grasslands;    arable lands;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fenvs.2020.581476

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Montane ecosystems occur throughout the world, and harbor many endemic species. They also provide key ecological services, including the catchment of water resources and the storage of organic carbon. These ecosystems are vulnerable to global climate change and increasing human pressures, including forestry and their conversion to arable land. In the extensive and biodiverse Mexican montane regions, ongoing deforestation and conversion to arable lands has led to diminished ecosystem health and services. Here, we undertook a comprehensive evaluation of carbon stocks within Mexican montane habitats in the Flora and Fauna Conservation Area of Nevado de Toluca. This aimed to integrate these habitats into Mexican and global census of forest carbon, the first step needed to convert on carbon credit markets to incentivize conservation of this region by local communities. Our study evaluated both, living biomass and belowground soil organic carbon in sites within forests, alpine grasslands and converted arable land. We addressed the following questions: (1) What are the organic carbon stocks, including the soil component, of our studied montane habitats? (2) What are the avoided CO2 emissions from maintaining natural forests and preventing conversion to arable land? And (3) Within our study area, are organic carbon stocks in the soil correlated to carbon stocks in aboveground living biomass? We found whole ecosystem organic carbon stocks ranged from 68 Mg OC ha–1 in unburnt alpine grasslands to 668 Mg OC ha–1 in Abies religiosa forests. By avoiding conversion of the A. religiosa forests to arable lands, we show that emissions of 1,122 to 1,671 Mg CO2 ha–1 are avoided. Notably, the belowground soil organic carbon stock comprised ≥ 40% of the total ecosystem organic carbon stock. We recommend soil organic carbon stocks should be included within Mexican and global forestry carbon stock inventories, and should be considered within voluntary carbon-credit markets used to incentivize the conservation of Mexican montane habitats.

【 授权许可】

Unknown