Browsing by Subject "Carbon stock"

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    Measuring and modelling carbon stocks in rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) dominated landscapes in Subtropical China
    (2019) Yang, Xueqing; Cadisch, Georg
    Rubber plantation has been rapidly expanded in Montane Mainland South East Asia in past decades. Limited by long-term monitoring data availability, the impacts of environmental change on rubber trees carbon stock development still not fully understood. Against global warming background, in order to better facilitate regional forest management, we applied synergetic approach combining field survey and modelling tools to improve predictions of dynamic carbon stock changes. The trade-off analysis regarding to rubber carbon stock and latex production optimization was further discussed in view of sustainable rubber cultivation. The first study explored the impact of regional land-use changes on landscape carbon balances. The Naban River Watershed National Nature Reserve (NRWNNR), Xishuangbanna, China, was selected as a case study location. Carbon stocks were evaluated using the Rapid Carbon Stock Appraisal (RaCSA) method based on tree, plot, land use and landscape level assessments of carbon stocks, integrating field sampling with remote sensing and GIS technology. The results showed that rubber plantations had larger time-averaged carbon stocks than non-forest land use types (agricultural crops, bush and grassland) but much lower than natural forest. During 23 years (1989-2012), the whole landscape of the nature reserve (26574 ha) gained 0.644 Tg C. Despite rubber expansion, the reforestation activities conducted in NRWNNR were able to enhance the carbon stocks. Regional evaluation of the carbon sequestration potential of rubber trees depends largely on the selection of suitable allometric equations and the biomass-to-carbon conversion factor. The second study developed generic allometric equations for rubber trees, covering rotation lengths of 4-35 years, within elevation gradient of 621-1,127 m, and locally used rubber tree clones (GT1, PRIM600, Yunyan77-4) in mountainous South Western China. Allometric equations for aboveground biomass (AGB) estimations considering diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, and wood density were superior to other equations. We also tested goodness of fit for the recently proposed pan-tropical forest model. The results displayed that prediction of AGB by the model calibrated with the harvested rubber tree biomass and wood density was more accurate than the results produced by the pan-tropical forest model adjusted to local conditions. The relationships between DBH and height and between DBH and biomass were influenced by tapping, therefore biomass and C stock calculations for rubber have to be done using species-specific allometric equations. Based on the analysis of environmental factors acting at the landscape level, we noticed that above- and belowground carbon stocks were mostly affected by stand age, soil clay content, aspect, and planting density. The results of this study provide reference for reliable carbon accounting in other rubber-cultivated regions. In the last study, we explored how rubber trees growth and production response to climate change and regional management strategies (cultivation elevation, planting density). We applied the process-based Land Use Change Impact Assessment tool (LUCIA) calibrated with detailed ground survey data to model tree biomass development and latex yield in rubber plantations at the tree, plot and landscape level. Model simulation showed that during a 40-year rotation, lowland rubber plantations (< 900m) grew quicker and had larger latex yield than highland rubber (≧900m). High planting density rubber plantations showed 5% higher above ground biomass than those at low- and medium-planting density. The mean total biomass and cumulative latex yield per tree over 40 years increased by 28% and 48%, respectively, when climate change scenarios were modelled from baseline to highest CO2 emission scenario (RCP 8.5). The same trend of biomass and latex yield increase with climate change was observed at plot level. Denser plantations had larger biomass, but the cumulative latex production decreased dramatically. The spatially explicit output maps produced during modelling could help maximize carbon stock and latex production of regional rubber plantations. Overall, rubber-based system required for appropriate monitoring scale in both temporal aspect (daily-, monthly-, and yearly-level) and in spatial aspect (pixel-, land use-, watershed-, and landscape- level). The findings from present study highlighted the important application of ecological modelling tools in nature resources management. The lessons learned here could be applicable for other rubber-cultivated regions, by updating with site-specific environmental variables. The significant role of rubber tree not limited in its nature latex production, it also lies in its great carbon sequestration potential. Our results here provided entry point for future developing comprehensive climate change adaption and mitigation strategies in South East Asia. By making use of interdisplinary cooperation, the sustainable rubber cultivation in Great Mekong Regions could be well realized.
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    The influence of land use and cover changes on the pastoral rangeland systems of southern Ethiopia : how much woody cover is enough?
    (2014) Mohammed, Hasen Yusuf; Treydte, Anna C.
    The Borana rangelands in southern Ethiopia are facing deterioration caused by intensification of grazing and woody plant encroachment, resulting in marked reductions in pastoral production. This process affects the food security and livelihoods of the Borana pastoral people negatively. Woody plant encroachment might result in an increase in carbon (C) storage in these rangelands, which represents an important aspect for climate change mitigation potentials. However, it is unclear how much C is currently stored in the above-and belowground vegetation biomass and in the soils of these rangeland ecosystems and how grazing intensity and woody cover influence soil or ecosystem C-stocks. The research work presented in this thesis aimed at developing tools to estimate the aboveground woody biomass C stocks. It describes the structure of semiarid savanna vegetation in different grazing regimes at various levels of woody encroachment, examines changes in woody plant encroachment, and provides field-based quantification methods and tools to derive site-based estimates of above- and belowground C pools. The thesis also aimed at assessing the influence of grazing on herbaceous above- and belowground biomass C stocks, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) to estimate possible increases in ecosystem C stocks by long term reduction of grazing intensity (e.g., low livestock density and seasonal grazing) at various levels of woody plant encroachment. A long-term temporal satellite imagery over the last 37 years and GIS mapping aided by ground truthing was used to investigate vegetation cover changes. In the field, data was collected to analyze vegetation attributes such as composition and structure under different grazing regimes and woody encroachment sites. Herbaceous species were destructively harvested to quantify the biomass and C stocks in the herbaceous vegetation community. Allometric tree biomass models were developed by destructively harvesting eight woody species to indirectly quantify the woody biomass and C stocks. Total soil nitrogen and SOC stocks in the different grazing management systems and woody encroachment levels were assessed from soil cores collected within 0- 40 cm soil depth. The performance of allometric biomass models as expressed as a goodness of fit (adj r2) depended on the species and biomass components estimated. The allometric models were highly accurate for large woody species such as A. mellifera, A. bussei, and A. etabaica. The most important single models predictor variable identified was stem basal circumference for tall shrubs with more or less open canopy structure. Meanwhile, for tall shrubs with closed and umbrella-like canopy structures, pairs of canopy volume and stem basal circumferences were more reliable predictors. It was further shown that, by using canopy volume as a standalone predictor variable, biomass can still be accurately predicted for shrubs whose growth form comprise discrete canopy clumps with multiple stems (e.g., A. oerfota). Vegetation cover analysis using temporal Landsat imageries from 1976 to 2012 revealed that areas covered by shrub and tree savanna (open savanna types) in the 1970s declined from 45% to 9%, while heavily encroached areas (bushland thickets and bushed savanna) increased from 22% to 61% during this time interval. The abundance of total and the regenerative woody plants (< 1 m height) were high in lower woody encroachment sites but significantly reduced at heavily woody encroachment sites. At all levels of woody encroachment enclosures significantly increased total woody plant density, especially the proportion of woody plants in < 1 m height size class compared to the open rangelands. Estimated total aboveground biomass C stocks varied significantly between woody encroachments levels, with total aboveground biomass C stocks ranging from 2 Mg ha-1 in the low encroachment site to 9 Mg ha-1 in heavy encroachment sites. Enclosures significantly raised the herbaceous biomass C stocks, with enclosures containing 50% more herbaceous aboveground biomass C stocks than openly grazed land. However, the response of herbaceous aboveground biomass C stocks to grazing was also strongly influenced by the woody encroachment characteristics including woody density, canopy cover, species composition and other specific traits of woody species. Mean total SOC stock in the 0 - 40 cm soil depth ranged from 30 Mg ha-1 in the openly grazed soils at the high woody encroachment site to 81 Mg ha-1 in the enclosure soils at the low encroachment site ha-1. Soil OC and TSN did not differ in the enclosure at heavily encroached sites but were two times as high in enclosures compared to openly grazed soils at low encroached sites. Soil OC was positively related to TSN and soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), but negatively to sand content. Contrary to expectations, SOC stocks did not uniformly follow the pattern of increasing aboveground biomass C stocks with increasing woody encroachment. Rather, it seemed to be influenced by variations in soil characteristics across the Borana rangelands. The study highlights the influence of woody encroachment and reduction of grazing pressure on ecosystem C stocks. The allometric models developed by this study can serve as a tool for future biomass and C sequestration studies in semiarid regions of east Africa. The information presented on the ecosystem C stocks by this thesis could help integrate the effects of grazing and vegetation cover dynamics on the rangeland C storage. An understanding of these interactions are deemed necessary to develop a sound rangeland management policy that can link the C storage potential of the rangelands to global climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies through establishing a viable mechanism of payment for ecosystem services.