Analysing carbon sequestration and storage dynamics in a changing mountain landscape in Portugal: insights for management and planning

Abstract

We assessed the effects of landscape change on the climate regulation ecosystem service in a mountain river basin of Portugal, through the quantification, valuation and mapping of carbon sequestration and storage. The analyses were based on land use and land cover (LULC) changes that took place between 1990 and 2006 and on expected changes defined by three LULC change scenarios for 2020. We used the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model for scenario building and carbon assessment and valuation, and several modelling tools to assess past, current and future carbon in four different pools. Soil organic carbon data was obtained through an extensive sampling scheme across the entire study area. Recent (1990Recent ( -2006 and expected landscape changes (2006-2020) affected considerably carbon sequestration and storage. Observed landscape changes generally promoted carbon sequestration and storage, and had a positive effect on the climate regulation ecosystem service, both biophysically and economically. Expected LULC changes further extend the capability of the landscape to increase carbon sequestration and storage in the near future. The carbon sequestered and stored in vegetation and soil contributes to avoid socio-economic damages from climate change, while increasing the economic value of particular LULC classes and the whole landscape. These results are essential to inform land planning, especially on how, where and when changes in landscapes may affect the provision of the climate regulation ecosystem service. ARTICLE HISTORY

Farmland abandonment decreases the fire regulation capacity and the fire protection ecosystem service in mountain landscapes

“…1). Different topographic, bioclimatic and geological conditions combined with traditional land management promote a diversity of LULC types throughout the landscape, in which semi-natural vegetation and, more recently, forests are predominant (Azevedo et al, 2011a,b;Carvalho-Santos et al, 2017;Sil et al, 2017Sil et al, , 2016.…”

Solving Multi-Objective Problems for Multifunctional and Sustainable Management in Maritime Pine Forest Landscapes

“…FlorNExT Pro ® provides not just a friendly way of selecting the best scenarios based on carbon stored in stands but also outputs quantitative data that can be used in the assessment of the supply and value of the climate regulation ecosystem service and its spatial and temporal dynamics in the area of interest. The tool can be combined with others designed with the purpose of assessing ecosystem services, such as InVEST (e.g., [53]), providing forest owners, managers, and policy-makers with a powerful tool, for example, to support schemes for payment of ecosystem services.…”

Impact of tree species replacement on carbon stocks in a Mediterranean mountain area, NE Portugal

“…Forest floor mass values were converted to carbon (Mg C ha −1 ) by multiplying these values by the carbon concentration in dry matter. Soil organic carbon contents (C SOC ; Mg C ha −1 ) were calculated by multiplying carbon concentration (Cc; g kg −1 ) by bulk density (BD; g cm −3 ) and thickness (z; cm) of the mineral soil layer with a correction for coarse elements content (CE; v v −1 ), using the following equation (Percival et al, 2000;Sil et al, 2017):…”

“…Disturbances that may occur in the soil such as changing vegetation cover, fires and management practices, influence in a long term the ecosystems sustainability and their ability to provide ecosystem services, such as carbon storage (e.g. Lal, 2005;Fonseca et al, 2014;Ferré et al, 2014;Chen et al, 2016;Sil et al, 2017;Fonseca and Figueiredo, 2018). The highest loss was recorded in the surface layer (0-5 cm; 11-15 Mg C ha −1 ), which may be related to a faster process of organic matter mineralization and gas exchanges with…”