Role of Traditional Agroforestry Systems in Climate Change Mitigation through Carbon Sequestration: An Investigation from the Semi-Arid Region of Pakistan

Ghulam Yasin, Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Farooq Azhar, Matoor Mohsin Gilani, Muhammad Nadeem Ashraf, Anzhen Qin () and Shafeeq Ur Rahman ()
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Ghulam Yasin: Department of Forestry and Range Management, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz: Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi 75279, Pakistan
Muhammad Zubair: Department of Forestry and Range Management, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Muhammad Farooq Azhar: Department of Forestry and Range Management, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Matoor Mohsin Gilani: Department of Forestry and Range Management, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Muhammad Nadeem Ashraf: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Anzhen Qin: Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Water Use and Regulation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Xinxiang 453002, China
Shafeeq Ur Rahman: Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Center, College of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Several agroforestry systems prevail in different agro-ecological zones of Pakistan, and cover a remarkable area of 19.3 million hectares. They not only play an important role in slowing down CO 2 emissions, but also contribute to mitigating climate change. However, in many regions, the relevant effect of agroforestry systems on overall carbon (C) stock and their reliance on various factors are quite unidentified. This study was planned to assess the biomass accumulation and C stocks of different commonly practiced agroforestry systems (boundary, bund, scattered, agri-horticulture) and their constituent land use types (tree + cropland) through a non-destructive approach (allometric equations) in a semi-arid region of Punjab, Pakistan. The results showed that the highest plant biomass (87.12 t ha −1 ) increased by 46%, 17%, 78%, and 339%, and C stock (42.77 t ha −1 ) increased by 49.51%, 20%, 82%, and 361% in the boundary planting system compared to the bund, scattered, agri-horti and sole cropland, respectively. The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock at all three depths, 0–15 cm, 15–30 cm & 30–45 cm, was found in the following order: boundary planting system > bund planting system > agri-horti system > scattered planting system > agricultural system, with a maximum in the boundary planting system and minimum in the sole cropping system at all three depths. Overall, the total C stock of the ecosystem’s vegetation + soil C (0–30 cm) in the forested area was 275 t ha −1 , equating to 37 t ha −1 in the agricultural system alone. Our results highlighted that agroforestry systems have the highest potential for C sequestration. We suggest that research and investment in agroforestry systems can be a successful way for Pakistan to achieve some of its climate change mitigation goals.

Keywords: agroforestry; boundary planting; carbon stock; climate change; plant biomass (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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