Carbon Storage and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of the Forests of the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

A study on Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, reveals a critical trend of deforestation and its impact on carbon storage. The research found that cultivated and overgrazed land (COL) increased from 20% in 1972 to 48% in 2013, leading to a nearly 50% shrinkage of Afro-montane forest (AMF) and Afro-alpine woodland (AAWL). Projections indicate that AAWL could disappear in 71 years while AMF could vanish in just 49 years at the current deforestation rate. The study also quantified carbon storage, with soil organic carbon (SOC) holding 55.2% of the total carbon stock, followed by above-ground carbon (34.4%) and below-ground carbon (8.3%). Notably, no strong relationship was found between biodiversity (Shannon diversity index) and carbon storage in AMF zones. The research used a nested plot design for biomass measurement and satellite imagery analysis to assess land cover changes.

Assaye, H. (2016). Carbon Storage and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of the Forests of the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 5(2), 8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20160502.11