Carbon Sequestration Status At Sunaulo Ghyampe Danda Community Forest, Kathmandu

Abstract

Climate change induced by increased greenhouse gases emission is real and has begun to affect us all. Human activities have increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 280 ppm to 372 ppm in less than two centuries and global temperatures by 0.6°C in the past century.

Carbon sequestration is the process where atmospheric carbon is absorbed into carbon sinks such as oceans, forest and soil. Forest land use plays a significant role in stabilizing the accumulation concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Terrestrial ecosystem, in which carbon is retained in above ground biomass, under ground biomass in soil which plays an important role in the global carbon cycle.

Kyoto Protocol is the first international treaty negotiated on the principles of equity and sharing the liabilities for improving the global environment community. The community forest has a high potentiality in making income generation from the carbon credit in community forestry system under CDM scheme.

Only very limited research program has been conducted on the carbon sequestration in Nepal. This study was carried out to determine the carbon sequestration and to estimate the monetary value of carbon sequestration. The study was carried out in two different forest types which were Pine Forest and Mixed Broad Leaf Forest of Sunaulo Ghyampe Danda Community Forest. Different measurement of the tree and soil were done. Above ground biomass and under ground biomass were calculated by using the methods of biophysical measurement. The biomass of the tree was calculated using the allometric equation. The total biomass was converted to organic carbon assuming 50% of the dry biomass would be the organic carbon. The soil organic was measured by using the Walkely-Black method.

The biomass organic carbon in Pine Forest was (116 ±16.39) ton/ ha and in Mixed Broad Leaf Forest was (25.95±8.09) ton/ ha and soil organic carbon was (10.12±1.03) ton /ha in Pine Forest and (24.62±1.18)ton/ha in Mixed Broad Leaf Forest. Soil organic carbon of pine forest and mixed broad leaf forest was (10.15±1.03)ton/ha and (24.62±1.18)ton/ha respectively. The above ground biomass organic carbon of Pine Forest and Mixed Broad Leaf Forest was 99.79ton/ ha and 23.54 ton/ ha and below ground biomass organic carbon was 21.79ton/ha and 26.22 ton/ha respectively. The carbon sequestration status as biomass of Pine Forest and Mixed Broad Leaf Forest was 1 ton/ha/yr and 2.95ton/ha/yr respectively. Per annum the additional benefit by carbon sequestration to community forest users groups by carbon trading ranges minimum from $563.15 to maximum based on community forest category. Inadequate information about the status of biomass and carbon stocks in the community managed forest of Nepal after 1990 has been a major problem to estimate total contribution of community forest on sequestrating carbon and claming for the compensation from global climate funds.

Keywords: Climate Change, Carbon Sequestration, Soil Organic Carbon, Biomass organic carbon, Clean Development Mechanism.