Carbon sequestration in tropical grassland ecosytems

225 Pages·2007·8.12 MB·English

by  L. 't Mannetje, M. C. Amézquita, P. Buurman, M. A. Ibrahim

Carbon sequestration
in tropical grassland ecosystems
edited by: L. ’t Mannetje,
M.C. Amézquita, P. Buurman and M.A. Ibrahim
ageningen Academic
u b l i s h e r s
Carbon sequestration in tropical grassland ecosytems

Carbon sequestration
in tropical grassland ecosytems
edited by:
L. ’t Mannetje
M.C. Amézquita
P. Buurman
M.A. Ibrahim
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ISBN: 978-90-8686-026-5
e-ISBN: 978-90-8686-632-8 The individual contributions in this
DOI: 10.3920/978-90-8686-632-8 publication and any liabilities arising
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First published, 2008
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The Netherlands, 2008 publication.

Preface
This book shows and substantiates that well managed, sustainable, productive
grassland and silvopastoral ecosystems in tropical America are capable of
sequestering and storing large amounts of Carbon (C) in the soil, comparable
with native forests.
Results are reported of a large five year on-farm research project carried out in
tropical America (Colombia, Costa Rica). Soil and vegetation C stocks of long-
established and experimental pasture, forage bank and silvopastoral systems on
commercial farms were compared with those of adjacent forest and degraded
land. The objective was to identify production systems that both increase
livestock productivity and farm income and, at the same time, contribute to a
reduction of CO accumulation in the atmosphere, which is accepted by many
2
politicians and scientists to be the overriding cause of global warming.
The project was carried out in the Andean Hillsides of the semi-evergreen forest
in Colombia, the Colombian humid Amazonian tropical forest ecosystem, the
sub-humid tropical forest ecosystem on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and the
humid tropical forest ecosystem on the Atlantic Coast of Costa Rica.
Apart from data collection and analysis, there are also chapters on data quality in
relation to soil variability and data consistency, extrapolation of results by means
of modelling and a study to identify regions in other parts of tropical America
with similar environmental conditions as exist in the four ecosystems of this
study, where the results of this study might be applicable.
This was a multinational project carried out by teams of scientists of Universities
and Research Institutes of Colombia, Costa Rica and The Netherlands. The
project also contributed to the training of graduate students and junior research
staff in the participating organisations.
Carbon sequestration in tropical grassland ecosytems 7

Table of contents
Preface 7
Executive summary 15
Foreword: in search of new horizons in socio-environmental policies 21
Manuel Rodríguez-Becerra
The need for action and policy makers 22
Research findings and CDM 24
Socio-economic relevance: soil restoration and poverty alleviation 25
Future research 26
Chapter 1. Introduction 29
M.C. Amézquita, E. Murgeitio, B.L. Ramirez and M.A. Ibrahim
Tropical America: land use, land use change, economic and
environmental importance of pasture and silvopastoral production
systems 29
Description of ecosystems 32
The Andean Hillsides ecosystem 32
The Amazonian humid tropical forest ecosystem 32
Sub-humid and humid tropical forest ecosystems, Costa Rica 33
Chapter 2. Methodology of bio-physical research 35
M.C. Amézquita, M. Chacón, T. LLanderal, M.A. Ibrahim, J. Rojas and
P. Buurman
Introduction 35
C stocks in long-established land use systems 35
Research sites and farms 37
Sampling design, variables measured and statistical analysis 41
Soil C changes in newly established systems on degraded land 43
Sampling strategy, variables measured and statistical analysis 43
C stocks in the tree component of silvopastoral systems, forage banks
and forest 44
Statistical analysis 47
Carbon sequestration in tropical grassland ecosytems 9