High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests

Aida Cuni Sanchez; Martin Sullivan; Philip John Platts; Simon L. Lewis; Robert Marchant; Gérard   Imani; Wannes Hubau; Iveren  Abiem; Hari  Adhikari; Tomas  Albrecht; Janne  Altman; Christian  Amani; Abreham B.  Aneseyee; Valerio  Avitabile; Lindsay  Banin; Rodrigue Batumike; Marijn  Bauters; Hans  Beeckman; Serge K.  Begne; Amy C.  Bennett; Robert Bitariho; Pascal  Boeckx; Jan  Bogaert; Achim  Bräuning; Franklin  Bulonvu; Neil D. Burgess; Kim Calders; Colin  Chapman; Hazel  Chapman; James  Comiskey; Thales  de Haulleville; Mathieu  Decuyper; Ben  DeVries; Jiri  Dolezal; Vincent  Droissart; Corneille  Ewango; Senbeta  Feyera; Aster  Gebrekristos; Roy E. Gereau; Martin Gilpin; Dismas  Hakizimana; Jefferson Hall; Alan  Hamilton; Olivier  Hardy; Terese  Hart; Janne  Heiskanen; Andreas  Hemp; Martin Herold; Ulrike  Hiltner; David  Horak; Marie-Noel  Kamdem; Charles  Kayijamahe; David Kenfack; Mwangi J.  Kinyanjui; Julia  Klein; Janvier  Lisingo; Jon  Lovett; Mark  Lung; Jean-Remy Makana; Yadvinder  Malhi; Andy Marshall; Emanuel H.  Martin; Edward T.A.  Mitchard; Alexandra  Morel; John T.  Mukendi; Tom  Muller; Felix  Nchu; Brigitte  Nyirambangutse; Joseph  Okello; Kelvin S. -H. Peh; Petri K. E. Pellikka; Oliver L. Phillips; Andrew  Plumptre; Lan Qie; Francesco  Rovero; Moses N.  Sainge; Christine B.  Schmitt; Ondrej  Sedlacek; Alain S.K. Ngute; Douglas  Sheil; Demisse  Sheleme; Tibebu Y.  Simegn; Murielle  Simo-Droissart; Bonaventure  Sonké; Teshome  Soromessa; Terry  Sunderland; Miroslav  Svoboda; Hermann Taedoumg; James  Taplin; David  Taylor; Sean C.  Thomas; Jonathan  Timberlake; Darlington Tuagben; Peter  Umunay; Eustrate  Uzabaho; Hans  Verbeeck; Jason  Vleminckx; Göran  Wallin; Charlotte  Wheeler; Simon  Willcock; John T.  Woods; Etienne  Zibera

doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests

Aida Cuni Sanchez, Martin Sullivan, Philip John Platts, Simon L. Lewis, Robert Marchant, Gérard Imani, Wannes Hubau, Iveren Abiem, Hari Adhikari, Tomas Albrecht, Janne Altman, Christian Amani, Abreham B. Aneseyee, Valerio Avitabile, Lindsay Banin, Rodrigue Batumike, Marijn Bauters, Hans Beeckman, Serge K. Begne, Amy C. BennettRobert Bitariho, Pascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Achim Bräuning, Franklin Bulonvu, Neil D. Burgess, Kim Calders, Colin Chapman, Hazel Chapman, James Comiskey, Thales de Haulleville, Mathieu Decuyper, Ben DeVries, Jiri Dolezal, Vincent Droissart, Corneille Ewango, Senbeta Feyera, Aster Gebrekristos, Roy E. Gereau, Martin Gilpin, Dismas Hakizimana, Jefferson Hall, Alan Hamilton, Olivier Hardy, Terese Hart, Janne Heiskanen, Andreas Hemp, Martin Herold, Ulrike Hiltner, David Horak, Marie-Noel Kamdem, Charles Kayijamahe, David Kenfack, Mwangi J. Kinyanjui, Julia Klein, Janvier Lisingo, Jon Lovett, Mark Lung, Jean-Remy Makana, Yadvinder Malhi, Andy Marshall, Emanuel H. Martin, Edward T.A. Mitchard, Alexandra Morel, John T. Mukendi, Tom Muller, Felix Nchu, Brigitte Nyirambangutse, Joseph Okello, Kelvin S. -H. Peh, Petri K. E. Pellikka, Oliver L. Phillips, Andrew Plumptre, Lan Qie, Francesco Rovero, Moses N. Sainge, Christine B. Schmitt, Ondrej Sedlacek, Alain S.K. Ngute, Douglas Sheil, Demisse Sheleme, Tibebu Y. Simegn, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Bonaventure Sonké, Teshome Soromessa, Terry Sunderland, Miroslav Svoboda, Hermann Taedoumg, James Taplin, David Taylor, Sean C. Thomas, Jonathan Timberlake, Darlington Tuagben, Peter Umunay, Eustrate Uzabaho, Hans Verbeeck, Jason Vleminckx, Göran Wallin, Charlotte Wheeler, Simon Willcock, John T. Woods, Etienne Zibera

Environment and Geography

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Tropical forests store 40-50% of terrestrial vegetation carbon. Spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Because of climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane compared to lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC-stock of 149.4 Mg C/ha (95% CI 137.1-164.2), comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network and about 70% and 32% higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the
IPCC default values for these forests in Africa. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million ha of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	536-542
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nature
Volume	596
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4
Publication status	Published - 25 Aug 2021

Bibliographical note

This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

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10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests
This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details
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Cite this

Cuni Sanchez, A., Sullivan, M., Platts, P. J., Lewis, S. L., Marchant, R., Imani, G., Hubau, W., Abiem, I., Adhikari, H., Albrecht, T., Altman, J., Amani, C., Aneseyee, A. B., Avitabile, V., Banin, L., Batumike, R., Bauters, M., Beeckman, H., Begne, S. K., ... Zibera, E. (2021). High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests. Nature, 596, 536-542. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

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title = "High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests",

abstract = "Tropical forests store 40-50% of terrestrial vegetation carbon. Spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Because of climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane compared to lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC-stock of 149.4 Mg C/ha (95% CI 137.1-164.2), comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network and about 70% and 32% higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the IPCC default values for these forests in Africa. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million ha of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.",

author = "{Cuni Sanchez}, Aida and Martin Sullivan and Platts, {Philip John} and Lewis, {Simon L.} and Robert Marchant and G{\'e}rard Imani and Wannes Hubau and Iveren Abiem and Hari Adhikari and Tomas Albrecht and Janne Altman and Christian Amani and Aneseyee, {Abreham B.} and Valerio Avitabile and Lindsay Banin and Rodrigue Batumike and Marijn Bauters and Hans Beeckman and Begne, {Serge K.} and Bennett, {Amy C.} and Robert Bitariho and Pascal Boeckx and Jan Bogaert and Achim Br{\"a}uning and Franklin Bulonvu and Burgess, {Neil D.} and Kim Calders and Colin Chapman and Hazel Chapman and James Comiskey and {de Haulleville}, Thales and Mathieu Decuyper and Ben DeVries and Jiri Dolezal and Vincent Droissart and Corneille Ewango and Senbeta Feyera and Aster Gebrekristos and Gereau, {Roy E.} and Martin Gilpin and Dismas Hakizimana and Jefferson Hall and Alan Hamilton and Olivier Hardy and Terese Hart and Janne Heiskanen and Andreas Hemp and Martin Herold and Ulrike Hiltner and David Horak and Marie-Noel Kamdem and Charles Kayijamahe and David Kenfack and Kinyanjui, {Mwangi J.} and Julia Klein and Janvier Lisingo and Jon Lovett and Mark Lung and Jean-Remy Makana and Yadvinder Malhi and Andy Marshall and Martin, {Emanuel H.} and Mitchard, {Edward T.A.} and Alexandra Morel and Mukendi, {John T.} and Tom Muller and Felix Nchu and Brigitte Nyirambangutse and Joseph Okello and Peh, {Kelvin S. -H.} and Pellikka, {Petri K. E.} and Phillips, {Oliver L.} and Andrew Plumptre and Lan Qie and Francesco Rovero and Sainge, {Moses N.} and Schmitt, {Christine B.} and Ondrej Sedlacek and Ngute, {Alain S.K.} and Douglas Sheil and Demisse Sheleme and Simegn, {Tibebu Y.} and Murielle Simo-Droissart and Bonaventure Sonk{\'e} and Teshome Soromessa and Terry Sunderland and Miroslav Svoboda and Hermann Taedoumg and James Taplin and David Taylor and Thomas, {Sean C.} and Jonathan Timberlake and Darlington Tuagben and Peter Umunay and Eustrate Uzabaho and Hans Verbeeck and Jason Vleminckx and G{\"o}ran Wallin and Charlotte Wheeler and Simon Willcock and Woods, {John T.} and Etienne Zibera",

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Cuni Sanchez, A, Sullivan, M, Platts, PJ, Lewis, SL, Marchant, R, Imani, G, Hubau, W, Abiem, I, Adhikari, H, Albrecht, T, Altman, J, Amani, C, Aneseyee, AB, Avitabile, V, Banin, L, Batumike, R, Bauters, M, Beeckman, H, Begne, SK, Bennett, AC, Bitariho, R, Boeckx, P, Bogaert, J, Bräuning, A, Bulonvu, F, Burgess, ND, Calders, K, Chapman, C, Chapman, H, Comiskey, J, de Haulleville, T, Decuyper, M, DeVries, B, Dolezal, J, Droissart, V, Ewango, C, Feyera, S, Gebrekristos, A, Gereau, RE, Gilpin, M, Hakizimana, D, Hall, J, Hamilton, A, Hardy, O, Hart, T, Heiskanen, J, Hemp, A, Herold, M, Hiltner, U, Horak, D, Kamdem, M-N, Kayijamahe, C, Kenfack, D, Kinyanjui, MJ, Klein, J, Lisingo, J, Lovett, J, Lung, M, Makana, J-R, Malhi, Y, Marshall, A, Martin, EH, Mitchard, ETA, Morel, A, Mukendi, JT, Muller, T, Nchu, F, Nyirambangutse, B, Okello, J, Peh, KS-H, Pellikka, PKE, Phillips, OL, Plumptre, A, Qie, L, Rovero, F, Sainge, MN, Schmitt, CB, Sedlacek, O, Ngute, ASK, Sheil, D, Sheleme, D, Simegn, TY, Simo-Droissart, M, Sonké, B, Soromessa, T, Sunderland, T, Svoboda, M, Taedoumg, H, Taplin, J, Taylor, D, Thomas, SC, Timberlake, J, Tuagben, D, Umunay, P, Uzabaho, E, Verbeeck, H, Vleminckx, J, Wallin, G, Wheeler, C, Willcock, S, Woods, JT & Zibera, E 2021, 'High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests', Nature, vol. 596, pp. 536-542. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

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T1 - High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests

AU - Cuni Sanchez, Aida

AU - Sullivan, Martin

AU - Platts, Philip John

AU - Lewis, Simon L.

AU - Marchant, Robert

AU - Imani, Gérard

AU - Hubau, Wannes

AU - Abiem, Iveren

AU - Adhikari, Hari

AU - Albrecht, Tomas

AU - Altman, Janne

AU - Amani, Christian

AU - Aneseyee, Abreham B.

AU - Avitabile, Valerio

AU - Banin, Lindsay

AU - Batumike, Rodrigue

AU - Bauters, Marijn

AU - Beeckman, Hans

AU - Begne, Serge K.

AU - Bennett, Amy C.

AU - Bitariho, Robert

AU - Boeckx, Pascal

AU - Bogaert, Jan

AU - Bräuning, Achim

AU - Bulonvu, Franklin

AU - Burgess, Neil D.

AU - Calders, Kim

AU - Chapman, Colin

AU - Chapman, Hazel

AU - Comiskey, James

AU - de Haulleville, Thales

AU - Decuyper, Mathieu

AU - DeVries, Ben

AU - Dolezal, Jiri

AU - Droissart, Vincent

AU - Ewango, Corneille

AU - Feyera, Senbeta

AU - Gebrekristos, Aster

AU - Gereau, Roy E.

AU - Gilpin, Martin

AU - Hakizimana, Dismas

AU - Hall, Jefferson

AU - Hamilton, Alan

AU - Hardy, Olivier

AU - Hart, Terese

AU - Heiskanen, Janne

AU - Hemp, Andreas

AU - Herold, Martin

AU - Hiltner, Ulrike

AU - Horak, David

AU - Kamdem, Marie-Noel

AU - Kayijamahe, Charles

AU - Kenfack, David

AU - Kinyanjui, Mwangi J.

AU - Klein, Julia

AU - Lisingo, Janvier

AU - Lovett, Jon

AU - Lung, Mark

AU - Makana, Jean-Remy

AU - Malhi, Yadvinder

AU - Marshall, Andy

AU - Martin, Emanuel H.

AU - Mitchard, Edward T.A.

AU - Morel, Alexandra

AU - Mukendi, John T.

AU - Muller, Tom

AU - Nchu, Felix

AU - Nyirambangutse, Brigitte

AU - Okello, Joseph

AU - Peh, Kelvin S. -H.

AU - Pellikka, Petri K. E.

AU - Phillips, Oliver L.

AU - Plumptre, Andrew

AU - Qie, Lan

AU - Rovero, Francesco

AU - Sainge, Moses N.

AU - Schmitt, Christine B.

AU - Sedlacek, Ondrej

AU - Ngute, Alain S.K.

AU - Sheil, Douglas

AU - Sheleme, Demisse

AU - Simegn, Tibebu Y.

AU - Simo-Droissart, Murielle

AU - Sonké, Bonaventure

AU - Soromessa, Teshome

AU - Sunderland, Terry

AU - Svoboda, Miroslav

AU - Taedoumg, Hermann

AU - Taplin, James

AU - Taylor, David

AU - Thomas, Sean C.

AU - Timberlake, Jonathan

AU - Tuagben, Darlington

AU - Umunay, Peter

AU - Uzabaho, Eustrate

AU - Verbeeck, Hans

AU - Vleminckx, Jason

AU - Wallin, Göran

AU - Wheeler, Charlotte

AU - Willcock, Simon

AU - Woods, John T.

AU - Zibera, Etienne

N1 - This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

PY - 2021/8/25

Y1 - 2021/8/25

N2 - Tropical forests store 40-50% of terrestrial vegetation carbon. Spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Because of climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane compared to lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC-stock of 149.4 Mg C/ha (95% CI 137.1-164.2), comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network and about 70% and 32% higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the IPCC default values for these forests in Africa. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million ha of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.

AB - Tropical forests store 40-50% of terrestrial vegetation carbon. Spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Because of climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane compared to lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC-stock of 149.4 Mg C/ha (95% CI 137.1-164.2), comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network and about 70% and 32% higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the IPCC default values for these forests in Africa. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million ha of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

DO - 10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

M3 - Article

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 596

SP - 536

EP - 542

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

ER -