Homegardens as a modern carbon storage: Assessment of tree diversity and above-ground biomass of homegardens in Matale district, Sri Lanka

《Homegardens as a modern carbon storage: Assessment of tree diversity and above-ground biomass of homegardens in Matale district, Sri Lanka》

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作者: W.A.M. Lowe;G.L.L.P. Silva;D.K.N.G. Pushpakumara

来源: URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING,Vol.74,Issue1,Article 127671

语言: 英文

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作者单位: Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;Chair for Forest Growth and Yield Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, Weihenstephan, Freising 85354, Germany;The Martin Centre for Architecture, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK;Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA;USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, NRS-08, Newark, DE, USA;USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, NRS-08, Baltimore, MD, USA;USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, NRS-08, Delaware, OH, USA;USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, NRS-08, Philadelphia, PA, USA;Geospatial Sciences, School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Victoria 3001, Australia;School of Tourism and Geography Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China;School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, PR China;Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto – Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada;Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA;Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA;Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA;West Coast Arborists (WCA), Anaheim, CA 92806, USA;Social Sciences Department, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA;Department of Economics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA;Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

摘要: Homegardens are principally known as integrated man-made ecosystems with annuals and perennials where trees play a significant role in storing atmospheric carbon in the vegetation as above-ground biomass (AGB). Being one of the agroforestry systems, homegardens could ease the pressure on natural forest cover in the process of carbon sequestration and carbon storage, while reducing the greenhouse gas accumulation (CO2) in the atmosphere. Thus, they could be described as a promising approach for mitigation of climatic changes. A study was conducted to assess the tree diversity and AGB carbon stock of homegardens in Matale district, Sri Lanka. A total of 122 homegardens ranging from urban dwellings up to natural eco-systems across 05 agro-ecological regions (AER) were surveyed, capturing a vast diversity. A total of 5140 woody trees were recorded from 100 genera and 45 families, covering 16.67 ha of homegardens. Six and three tree species were identified as vulnerable and near threatened, respectively in terms of national-level conservation status. Shannon-Wiener index (SWI) of 1.90 ± 0.49 ranging between 0.49 and 2.83 indicated compositional diversity of the tree species. The AGB was widely varying between 0.8 and 139.4 Mg C/ha (mean AGB of 36.5 ± 27.4 Mg C/ha). AGB and SWI were higher in small-scale (38.8 ± 29.7 Mg C/ha and 1.91 ± 0.50, respectively) than in medium-scale homegardens (28.0 ± 14.9 Mg C/ha and 1.86 ± 0.50, respectively). Species richness and number of species per hectare were higher in small scale (<0.2 ha) homegardens compared to medium scale (0.2–0.8 ha). A considerable variation of tree diversity and AGB was observed among the homegardens in different AERs. The variation of AGB was primarily governed by tree density (trees/ha) and species diversity. Focusing on that, optimizing the potential of homegardens in terms of storing atmospheric carbon as AGB in the study area can be considered as a timely strategy in mitigating impacts of climate change and assisting domestic food security.