The research work was focused on the study of forest fire and its impact assessment on plant biodiversity by vegetation assessment in the fire-affected and adjoining non-affected areas to identify the signals of severity and probable causes of fire. Data were collected by quadrate method, site survey, consultation and group discussion, mapping of the studied area, and questionnaire survey. The results show that there was a notable difference in tree and shrub diversity. The Shannon Wienner index (H) = 0.70 and 0.49, and Simpson’s Divesity (D) = 0.64 and 0.51, for trees in adjoining and fire-affected areas respectively. Similarly, Shannon Wienner index (H) = 0.91 and 0.72, and Simpson’s Divesity (D) = 0.84 and 0.68 for shrubs in adjoining and fire-affected areas respectively. Likewise, herb diversity did not differ significantly (H = 1.02 and 0.97; D = 0.87 and 0.88 in the adjacent to burned area and fire-affected area). Gleichenia gigantea, Artemisia dubia, Rubus spp., Oxalis chodata, and some medicinal plants such as Butea minor were found to be most affected by the fire. Mainly dried thickets of Drepanostachyum intermedium and Saccharum spontaneum act as fuel for the fire, which easily ignites and regenerates soon after a fire. Drought before monsoon was found to be the leading cause of forest fires, followed by electricity shooting (17%), ignorance and carelessness (38%), slash and burn practice (15%), other (7%), and unknown causes (23%). Hence the need to better address the drivers of resource extraction from the national park to mitigate this degradation.
Abstract. Bhatta M, Joshi R. 2023. Assessment of water quality with comparative study of soil organic carbon stock in Nagdaha Lake and its adjacent agricultural land of Lalitpur, Nepal. Intl J Bonorowo Wetlands 13: 9-16. The lakes are an important component of the terrestrial Carbon (C) cycle. Estimates of global C burial by lakes suggest burial rates ranging from 0.03-0.07 Pg C yr?1. In the present study, the water quality of Nagdaha Lake and comparative analysis of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in Nagdaha Lake and its adjoining agricultural area has been studied. Water quality was determined following APHA (1998); SOC was determined by the Walkey and Black (1934) Titration Method. The present study results show that the mean N-nitrate and P-phosphate concentration in the waters of Nagdaha Lake is 0.135 mg/L and 0.123 mg/L, respectively, and the mean SOC concentration of Nagdaha Lake (71.39±42.58g kg-1) is higher than the adjacent agricultural land (14.36±8.38g kg-1). The t-test result also shows that there is a significant difference in SOC concentration in lakes (t = 9.18) and agricultural (t = 7.66) for agricultural land (p < 0.0001). Nagdaha Lake's area decreased from 52 ropani to 42 ropani between 1964 and 2022. Despite the decrease in area, Nagdaha Lake has more carbon per unit area than agricultural land. Since the conversion of lake land to agricultural land can release a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere, it is imperative to preserve the lakes to mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a crucial carbon reservoir that needs to be monitored for deforestation and forest degradation. The top one-meter layer of soil contains around 1500–1600 Pg of carbon. Assessing the SOC pool is essential for understanding the soil system’s carbon sequestration potential (CSP) as a mitigation strategy and determining whether it acts as a source or sink for atmospheric CO2, depending on the level of saturation. However, there are limited studies on SOC in Nepal’s forests. This research aims to assess SOC variation in the Shuklaphanta National Park in Nepal. It focuses on determining SOC according to depth and analyzing the variation of SOC among the core area of the national park, grasslands, and buffer zone community forests (CFs) and identifying the factors that contribute to the variation in soil carbon across different land uses. The study was conducted using a systematic sampling method with a sampling intensity of 6.59% on 180 soil samples taken from permanent plots set up by the Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) Nepal. The analysis was based on SOC estimated up to the depth of 0–10, 11–20, and 21–30 cm using a modified Walkley–Black wet oxidation method. The study also analyzed contributing factors affecting soil carbon such as vegetation, forest fire, rate of forest resource use, and different soil properties like pH and bulk density. The study found that the mean SOC% up to the depths of 0–10 cm, 11–20 cm, and 21–30 cm was 2.08, 0.98, and 0.68, respectively, in forest areas. Mean SOC% in grasslands was found to be 1.7, 1.68, and 1.87 in 0–10, 11–20, and 21–30 cm, respectively, and in community forests, it was found to be 1.3, 0.98, and 0.58 in 0–10, 11–20, and 21–30 cm, respectively. Similarly, the vertical mean SOC in tC⋅ha−1 (0–30 cm) was found to be 41.75 tC·ha−1 in the core area of the national park, 46.64 tC·ha−1 in grassland, and 37.50 tC·ha−1 in CFs. The study also found that there was variation in SOC with depth and that most of the SOC was concentrated in the topsoil in the core area of the national park and buffer zone community forests. Deep layers of SOC were found in grasslands, core area of the national park, and CF in decreasing order. The study implies that the national park has enormous potential to recapture atmospheric CO2 into the soil. Participating in the sustainable management of the national park can enhance the soil quality and help meet strategies to mitigate climate change. Factors such as vegetation cover, fire, bulk density, and vegetation type were found to be promising for SOC concentration.
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