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Impact of land use on aboveground carbon storage in a Tropical Montane Forest in Central Andes of Peru
Autor(es)
Cachay, Walescka
Fecha de publicación
2025
Publisher
International Association for Landscape Ecology Chapter Germany
Volume
100
Series/Report No.
Landscape Online
Resumen
Tropical montane forests play a key role in carbon storage, but they face constant threats from land use change. However, the relations between land use change, vegetation structure and carbon stocks remain poorly understood. We aimed to assess aboveground carbon storage in four land use types within a montane forest in the Central Andes of Peru. We quantified carbon stocks from trees, crops, dead biomass, and herbaceous plants across 61 sample plots. We identified a gradient of carbon storage from highest to lowest across land uses: Old-growth Montane Forest (193.03 ± 68.2 t ha -1), Montane Forest in Regeneration (87.52 ± 50.29 t ha -1), Agroforestry (48.67 ± 24.05 t ha -1), and Croplands (12.46 ± 9.75 t ha -1). Vegetation structure variables (tree height, DBH, basal area, and tree density, canopy cover) showed a significant positive correlation with aboveground carbon stocks (r2 ranging from 0.63 to 0.91). In contrast, soil physical properties (textural class (% sand, silt, and clay) and soil bulk density) did not correlate with aboveground carbon stocks. Our estimations indicate that trees are a great carbon pool and the presence of trees with DBH ≥ 30 often indicates conservation status. This study proves that there is a loss of carbon storage and vegetation structural characteristics as land use intensifies. Restoration of degraded forests and adoption of an agroforestry approach offer promising alternatives to preserve ecosystem functions and mitigate climate change.
Citation
Cachay, W., y Eckhardt, K. I. (2025). Impact of land use on aboveground carbon storage in a Tropical Montane Forest in Central Andes of Peru. Landscape Online, 100, 1137. https://doi.org/10.3097/lo.2025.1137
Nivel de acceso
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Licencia de uso
Campo del conocimiento OCDE
Sponsor(s)
Supported by the International Association for Landscape Ecology and its community This study was partially funded by Universidad Cientifica del Sur through two funding contests: Undergraduate Thesis Project Funding Contest 2020-1 and Teaching Research Project Contest \u201CSeed Fund 2019-2\u201D. A special thank you to the farmers of the Toro River Catchment for guiding us through their land and the forest in the sampling stage of the project. We also thank Jose Andre Noriega and Adaia Alegre for their support in the fieldwork and data processing.