Below-ground carbon stocks in intact and transformed subtropical thicket landscapes in semi-arid South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorMills A.J.
dc.contributor.authorCowling R.M.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:59:29Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:59:29Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractThe feasibility of restoring subtropical thicket using carbon markets is largely a function of its carbon sequestration potential. We measured below-ground carbon stocks and analysed soil properties in intact, degraded and old agricultural landscapes in Baviaans Spekboom Thicket - a highly degraded thicket type earmarked for restoration. Soil and root carbon stocks to a depth of 110 cm in intact thicket were 93 ± 7 (SE) t ha-1 and 11 ± 2 t ha-1, respectively. Degraded thicket had approximately one-third of the soil (31 ± 2 t ha-1) and one-quarter of the root (2.7 ± 0.3 t ha-1) carbon of intact thicket. Old agricultural lands had approximately half of the soil (42 ± 4 t ha-1) and quarter of the root (2.6 ± 0.3 t ha-1) carbon of intact thicket. Soil carbon stocks in topsoil were constrained at low concentrations of extractable K (<0.5 mmolc kg-1), Mg (<1 mmolc kg-1), Ca (<12 mmolc kg-1) and extractable P (<40 mg kg-1), suggesting that carbon sequestration will be strongly influenced by soil nutrient content. Restoration of Baviaans Spekboom Thicket stands to sequester 70 ± 8 t ha-1 of below-ground carbon - an amount rivalling sequestration potentials in degraded mesic forests. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Arid Environments
dc.identifier.citation74
dc.identifier.citation1
dc.identifier.issn1401963
dc.identifier.other10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.07.002
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11204
dc.subjectarable land
dc.subjectbelowground biomass
dc.subjectcarbon sequestration
dc.subjectland degradation
dc.subjectrestoration ecology
dc.subjectsemiarid region
dc.subjectsoil carbon
dc.subjectsoil erosion
dc.subjectsoil nutrient
dc.subjectsoil property
dc.subjecttopsoil
dc.subjectAfrica
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subjectSouthern Africa
dc.subjectSub-Saharan Africa
dc.titleBelow-ground carbon stocks in intact and transformed subtropical thicket landscapes in semi-arid South Africa
dc.typeArticle
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