Land-use change and greenhouse gas emissions in the tropics : Forest degradation on peat soils

Lent, Jeffrey van

doi:10.18174/526264

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 188 publications

(414 reference statements)

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“…They face various threats including land-use and climate change 4,5 . Deforestation and/or drainage of peatlands inhibit the accumulation of organic matter and promotes rapid decomposition of peat, releasing large quantities of the greenhouse gasses (GHG) CO2 and N2O to the atmosphere 6,7,8,9,10 . Moreover, drained peatlands are prone to fires which lead to large pulses of emissions 11 .…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Investment is required to promote protection and sustainable management of these widespread and extremely carbon-dense ecosystems, before emissions rise over the coming decades 40,41 . Secondly, the increasing threats and rising emissions from specific land-use transitions in some peatlands mean that it is important to improve detection of deforestation and secondary vegetation across the full range of peatland forest types, and to make more extensive measurements of greenhouse gas emissions associated with specific land-use transitions across the different forest types 7,8,9 .…”

Section: Synthesis and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risks to carbon storage from land-use change revealed by peat thickness maps of Peru

et al. 2022

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Tropical peatlands are among the most carbon dense ecosystems but land-use change has led to the loss of large peatland areas, associated with substantial greenhouse gas emissions. In order to design effective conservation and restoration policies, maps of the location and carbon storage of tropical peatlands are vital. This is especially so in countries such as Peru where the distribution of its large, hydrologically intact peatlands is poorly known. Here, field and remote sensing data support model development of peatland extent and thickness for lowland Peruvian Amazonia. We estimate a peatland area of 62,714 (5th and 95th confidence interval percentiles 58,325-67,102 respectively) km 2 and carbon stock of 5.4 (2.6-10.6) Pg C, a value approaching the entire above-ground carbon stock of Peru but contained within just 5% of its land area. Combining the map of peatland extent with national land-cover data we reveal small but growing areas of deforestation and associated CO2 emissions from peat decomposition, due to conversion to mining, urban areas, and

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Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Synthesis and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risks to carbon storage from land-use change revealed by peat thickness maps of Peru

et al. 2022

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“…The bias on the peat C budgets from using a single default value is however minor since the order of typical natural fluxes in undrained tropical peatlands (0.5-0.6 Mg C ha −1 year −1 ; Drösler et al 2014) is within the uncertainty of single components of the carbon budget (Table 1). Soil respiration of trees was monitored at the Intact site and rates were comparable to soil respiration in hollows surrounding palms [see Table 5.4 in the thesis by van Lent (2020)]. Even though these results included both autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration, they suggest minimal impact on site-scale Rh rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Major carbon losses from degradation of Mauritia flexuosa peat swamp forests in western Amazonia

et al. 2023

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Tropical peat swamp forests are major global carbon (C) stores highly vulnerable to human intervention. In Peruvian Amazonia, palm swamps, the prevalent peat ecosystem, have been severely degraded through recurrent cutting of Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. While this can transform these C sinks into significant sources, the magnitude of C fluxes in natural and disturbed conditions remains unknown. Here, we estimated emissions from degradation along a gradient comprising undegraded (Intact), moderately degraded (mDeg) and heavily degraded (hDeg) palm swamps. C stock changes above- and below-ground were calculated from biomass inventories and peat C budgets resulting from the balance of C outputs (heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh), dissolved C exports), C inputs (litterfall, root mortality) and soil CH4 emissions. Fluxes spatiotemporal dynamics were monitored (bi)monthly over 1–3 years. The peat budgets (Mg C ha−1 year−1) revealed that medium degradation reduced by 88% the soil sink capacity (from − 1.6 ± 1.3 to − 0.2 ± 0.8 at the Intact and mDeg sites) while high degradation turned the soil into a high source (6.2 ± 0.7 at the hDeg site). Differences stemmed from degradation-induced increased Rh (5.9 ± 0.3, 6.2 ± 0.3, and 9.0 ± 0.3 Mg C ha−1 year−1 at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) and decreased C inputs (8.3 ± 1.3, 7.1 ± 0.8, and 3.6 ± 0.7 Mg C ha−1 year−1 at the same sites). The large total loss rates (6.4 ± 3.8, 15.7 ± 3.8 Mg C ha−1 year−1 under medium and high degradation), originating predominantly from biomass changes call for sustainable management of these peatlands.

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Degradation-driven changes in fine root carbon stocks, productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates in a palm swamp peat forest of the Peruvian Amazon

Dezzeo

Grandez-Rios

Martius

et al. 2021

Carbon Balance Manage

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Background Amazon palm swamp peatlands are major carbon (C) sinks and reservoirs. In Peru, this ecosystem is widely threatened owing to the recurrent practice of cutting Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. Such degradation could significantly damage peat deposits by altering C fluxes through fine root productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates which contribute to and regulate peat accumulation. Along a same peat formation, we studied an undegraded site (Intact), a moderately degraded site (mDeg) and a heavily degraded site (hDeg) over 11 months. Fine root C stocks and fluxes were monthly sampled by sequential coring. Concomitantly, fine root decomposition was investigated using litter bags. In the experimental design, fine root stocks and dynamics were assessed separately according to vegetation type (M. flexuosa palm and other tree species) and M. flexuosa age class. Furthermore, results obtained from individual palms and trees were site-scaled by using forest composition and structure. Results At the scale of individuals, fine root C biomass in M. flexuosa adults was higher at the mDeg site than at the Intact and hDeg sites, while in trees it was lowest at the hDeg site. Site-scale fine root biomass (Mg C ha−1) was higher at the mDeg site (0.58 ± 0.05) than at the Intact (0.48 ± 0.05) and hDeg sites (0.32 ± 0.03). Site-scale annual fine root mortality rate was not significantly different between sites (3.4 ± 1.3, 2.0 ± 0.8, 1.5 ± 0.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) while productivity (same unit) was lower at the hDeg site (1.5 ± 0.8) than at the Intact site (3.7 ± 1.2), the mDeg site being intermediate (2.3 ± 0.9). Decomposition was slow with 63.5−74.4% of mass remaining after 300 days and it was similar among sites and vegetation types. Conclusions The significant lower fine root C stock and annual productivity rate at the hDeg site than at the Intact site suggests a potential for strong degradation to disrupt peat accretion. These results stress the need for a sustainable management of these forests to maintain their C sink function.

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Land-use change and greenhouse gas emissions in the tropics : Forest degradation on peat soils

Cited by 3 publications

References 188 publications

Risks to carbon storage from land-use change revealed by peat thickness maps of Peru

Risks to carbon storage from land-use change revealed by peat thickness maps of Peru

Major carbon losses from degradation of Mauritia flexuosa peat swamp forests in western Amazonia

Degradation-driven changes in fine root carbon stocks, productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates in a palm swamp peat forest of the Peruvian Amazon

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