Describing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Capacity of Mangroves by Carbon Stock Assessment using Allometric Data in Sukol River, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
Randy A. Quitain
Mindoro State University
Labasan, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54476/iimrj215
ABSTRACT
Enhanced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission becomes a massive problem across the Earth due to anthropogenic activities. This event caused natural disturbance in the atmosphere that resulted into various natural hazards such as flooding, rise of sea level, drought, heat waves, increased storm intensity and occurrence. Mitigation for this environmental concern can be done by protecting, conserving or restoring forests, coastal wetlands, and peat lands that improve carbon sequestration. Thus, these actions helped in reducing enormous Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. Mangroves is one of the efficient ecosystems that sequester GHG from a particular source. In order to provide details of their efficiency as reservoir of these gases, allometric data regarding their physiology were estimated in the study. The sampling of mangroves was done using a circular plot method. The main procedure for this approach is to establish a 125 meter transect line in the designated sampling stations of the study site. Along the overlaid transect line, 6 circular plots with 7 meter radius were placed lengthwise with 25 meters interval. The mangroves within the 7 meter radius plot having a 2 meters height and above were measured according to their girth diameter, stem diameter and tallness. The Tree Density, Species, Girth (GBH), Stem Diameter and Height were computed based on the standard formula used for Aboveground Biomass (AGB) and Belowground Biomass (BGB) estimation for mangroves. A total biomass of 5,905.88 Mg·Ha-1 is recorded from the combined biomass of aboveground and belowground carbon pools. The total estimated carbon stock is 2,775.76 Mg·Ha-1 which is equivalent to 10,187.05 Mg·Ha-1 of absorbed carbon. Moreover, the results for the computation of oxygen release of mangroves in the study site average 7,402.04 Mg·Ha-1 ·year-1 . These results from allometric data provides the confirmation that mangroves are efficient sinks of carbons that can possibly develop to a greenhouse gas reaching the atmosphere reinforcing global warming.
Keywords: mangroves; natural hazards; greenhouse gas; allometric data