Carbon Stock And Spatial Dynamics In Natural Forests Of Awi Zone, Amhara Region, Northwestern Ethiopia: Implication For Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation

Abstract

Background: As a mitigation measure of climate change, the natural forest plays a key role in controlling the carbon cycle and ecosystem stability through sequestrating the carbon dioxide. However, there have been limited scientific investigation and communication of the potential carbon stock potential of natural forest resources with the global community. Therefore, inventory and estimation of stocks and fluxes of carbon from natural vegetation under different forest communities and different environmental patterns should be done and communicated to the global community for conservation and to get appropriate credit. To do this, 9 forest communities in different agroecology were selected areas of Awi Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. To this end, 76 quadrates with 20meter*20meter quadrate size 200meter distance within quadrates and transect lines Diameter, height, and environmental gradient data were collected and analyzed with R Ver.3.1, XLSTAT, and SPSS Ver.25. Result: There was a significant difference (p < 0.029) of above and belowground biomass, carbon stock, carbon dioxide sequestration potential, and soil organic carbon across forests communities, slope, altitude, aspect, and agro-ecologies. ‘Saharakani’ forest has the highest carbon stock as the overall pool. Highland forest communities had a better overall carbon pool. In terms of slop gradient, low slope gradient has recorded the highest allover carbon pool followed by a steep slope and lower slope. In altitude gradient all over carbon, the pool has in decreasing order with increasing of altitude. South facing had the highest carbon stock as overall pools followed by east-facing and west-facing and the least is north facing. Lowland forests had better Soil organic carbon followed by highland and mid-altitude forests. Carbon stock as an overall pool is especially dynamics within environmental patterns. Conclusion: There is a huge amount of carbon stock in the natural forest in the study area which has a great potential in carbon dioxide sequestration which mitigates the crisis of climate change. However, appropriate credit was not given yet for this natural forest and the resources are continuously declining. Thus, first of all, urgent conservation is required, and then further plan-based sustainable conservation should work should be done for successfully ecologically climate change mitigation.