Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review

The increasing and alarming trend of degradation and deforestation of tropical peat swamp forests may contribute greatly to climate change. Estimates of carbon (C) losses associated with land use change in tropical peatlands are needed. To assess these losses we examined C stocks and peat C fluxes i...

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Main Authors: Hergoualc'h, Kristell, Verchot, Louis V.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20755
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author Hergoualc'h, Kristell
Verchot, Louis V.
author_browse Hergoualc'h, Kristell
Verchot, Louis V.
author_facet Hergoualc'h, Kristell
Verchot, Louis V.
author_sort Hergoualc'h, Kristell
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The increasing and alarming trend of degradation and deforestation of tropical peat swamp forests may contribute greatly to climate change. Estimates of carbon (C) losses associated with land use change in tropical peatlands are needed. To assess these losses we examined C stocks and peat C fluxes in virgin peat swamp forests and tropical peatlands affected by six common types of land use. Phytomass C loss from the conversion of virgin peat swamp forest to logged forest, fire-damaged forest, mixed croplands and shrublands, rice field, oil palm plantation, and Acacia plantation were calculated using the stock difference method and estimated at 116.9 ± 39.8, 151.6 ± 36.0, 204.1 ± 28.6, 214.9 ± 28.4, 188.1 ± 29.8, and 191.7 ± 28.5 Mg C ha-1, respectively. Total C loss from uncontrolled fires ranged from 289.5 ± 68.1 Mg C ha-1 in rice fields to 436.2 ± 77.0 Mg C ha-1 in virgin peat swamp forest. We assessed the effects of land use change on C stocks in the peat by looking at how the change in vegetation cover altered the main C inputs (litterfall and root mortality) and outputs (heterotrophic respiration, CH4 flux, fires, and soluble and physical removal) before and after conversion. The difference between the soil input-output balances in the virgin peat swamp forest and in the oil palm plantation gave an estimate of peat C loss of 10.8 ± 3.5 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Peat C loss from other land use conversions could not be assessed due to lack of data, principally on soil heterotrophic respiration rates. Over 25 years, the conversion of tropical virgin peat swamp forest into oil palm plantation represents a total C loss from both biomass and peat of 427.2 ± 90.7 Mg C ha-1 or 17.1 ± 3.6 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. In all situations, peat C loss contributed more than 63% to total C loss, demonstrating the urgent need in terms of the atmospheric greenhouse gas burden to protect tropical virgin peat swamp forests from land use change and fires.
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spelling CGSpace207552025-01-24T14:12:50Z Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review Hergoualc'h, Kristell Verchot, Louis V. carbon peatlands land use deforestation degradation The increasing and alarming trend of degradation and deforestation of tropical peat swamp forests may contribute greatly to climate change. Estimates of carbon (C) losses associated with land use change in tropical peatlands are needed. To assess these losses we examined C stocks and peat C fluxes in virgin peat swamp forests and tropical peatlands affected by six common types of land use. Phytomass C loss from the conversion of virgin peat swamp forest to logged forest, fire-damaged forest, mixed croplands and shrublands, rice field, oil palm plantation, and Acacia plantation were calculated using the stock difference method and estimated at 116.9 ± 39.8, 151.6 ± 36.0, 204.1 ± 28.6, 214.9 ± 28.4, 188.1 ± 29.8, and 191.7 ± 28.5 Mg C ha-1, respectively. Total C loss from uncontrolled fires ranged from 289.5 ± 68.1 Mg C ha-1 in rice fields to 436.2 ± 77.0 Mg C ha-1 in virgin peat swamp forest. We assessed the effects of land use change on C stocks in the peat by looking at how the change in vegetation cover altered the main C inputs (litterfall and root mortality) and outputs (heterotrophic respiration, CH4 flux, fires, and soluble and physical removal) before and after conversion. The difference between the soil input-output balances in the virgin peat swamp forest and in the oil palm plantation gave an estimate of peat C loss of 10.8 ± 3.5 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. Peat C loss from other land use conversions could not be assessed due to lack of data, principally on soil heterotrophic respiration rates. Over 25 years, the conversion of tropical virgin peat swamp forest into oil palm plantation represents a total C loss from both biomass and peat of 427.2 ± 90.7 Mg C ha-1 or 17.1 ± 3.6 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. In all situations, peat C loss contributed more than 63% to total C loss, demonstrating the urgent need in terms of the atmospheric greenhouse gas burden to protect tropical virgin peat swamp forests from land use change and fires. 2011 2012-06-04T09:15:09Z 2012-06-04T09:15:09Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20755 en Hergoualc'h, K., Verchot, L.V. 2011. Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review . Global Biogeochemical Cycles 25 ISSN: 0886–6236.
spellingShingle carbon
peatlands
land use
deforestation
degradation
Hergoualc'h, Kristell
Verchot, Louis V.
Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title_full Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title_fullStr Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title_full_unstemmed Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title_short Stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands: a review
title_sort stocks and fluxes of carbon associated with land use change in southeast asian tropical peatlands a review
topic carbon
peatlands
land use
deforestation
degradation
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20755
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