Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4
Document Shareable Link
Title (Primary) High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests
Author Cuni-Sanchez, A.; Sullivan, M.J.P.; Platts, P.J.; Lewis, S.L.; Marchant, R.; Imani, G.; Hubau, W.; Abiem, I.; Adhikari, H.; Albrecht, T.; Altman, J.; Amani, C.; Aneseyee, A.B.; Avitabile, V.; Banin, L.; Batumike, R.; Bauters, M.; Beeckman, H.; Begne, S.K.; Bennett, A.C.; Bitariho, R.; Boeckx, P.; Bogaert, J.; Bräuning, A.; Bulonvu, F.; Hiltner, U.; Horak, D., et al.
Source Titel Nature
Year 2021
Department OESA
Volume 596
Issue 7873
Page From 536
Page To 542
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.5521/forestplots.net/2021_5
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-021-03728-4/MediaObjects/41586_2021_3728_MOESM1_ESM.docx
Keywords highlight
Abstract Tropical forests store 40-50 per cent of terrestrial vegetation carbon(1). However, spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests(2). Owing to climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation(3), AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane forests compared with lowland forests(2). Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC stock of 149.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare (95% confidence interval 137.1-164.2), which is comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network(4) and about 70 per cent and 32 per cent higher than averages from plot networks in montane(2,5,6) and lowland(7) forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change default values for these forests in Africa(8). We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests(4) is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million hectares of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help to guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse(9,10) and carbon-rich ecosystems.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=25072
Cuni-Sanchez, A., Sullivan, M.J.P., Platts, P.J., Lewis, S.L., Marchant, R., Imani, G., Hubau, W., Abiem, I., Adhikari, H., Albrecht, T., Altman, J., Amani, C., Aneseyee, A.B., Avitabile, V., Banin, L., Batumike, R., Bauters, M., Beeckman, H., Begne, S.K., Bennett, A.C., Bitariho, R., Boeckx, P., Bogaert, J., Bräuning, A., Bulonvu, F., Hiltner, U., Horak, D., et al. (2021):
High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests
Nature 596 (7873), 536 - 542