Mature Andean forests as globally important carbon sinks and future carbon refuges

Alvaro Duque (), Miguel A. Peña, Francisco Cuesta, Sebastián González-Caro, Peter Kennedy, Oliver L. Phillips, Marco Calderón-Loor, Cecilia Blundo, Julieta Carilla, Leslie Cayola, William Farfán-Ríos, Alfredo Fuentes, Ricardo Grau, Jürgen Homeier, María I. Loza-Rivera, Yadvinder Malhi, Agustina Malizia, Lucio Malizia, Johanna A. Martínez-Villa, Jonathan A. Myers, Oriana Osinaga-Acosta, Manuel Peralvo, Esteban Pinto, Sassan Saatchi, Miles Silman, J. Sebastián Tello, Andrea Terán-Valdez and Kenneth J. Feeley
Additional contact information
Alvaro Duque: Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín
Miguel A. Peña: Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín
Francisco Cuesta: Medio Ambiente y Salud -BIOMAS - Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA)
Sebastián González-Caro: Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín
Peter Kennedy: University of Minnesota
Oliver L. Phillips: University of Leeds
Marco Calderón-Loor: Medio Ambiente y Salud -BIOMAS - Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA)
Cecilia Blundo: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Julieta Carilla: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Leslie Cayola: Herbario Nacional de Bolivia (LPB)
William Farfán-Ríos: Missouri Botanical Garden
Alfredo Fuentes: Herbario Nacional de Bolivia (LPB)
Ricardo Grau: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Jürgen Homeier: University of Gottingen
María I. Loza-Rivera: Herbario Nacional de Bolivia (LPB)
Yadvinder Malhi: University of Oxford
Agustina Malizia: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Lucio Malizia: Universidad Nacional de Jujuy
Johanna A. Martínez-Villa: Université du Quebec a Montreal
Jonathan A. Myers: Washington University in St. Louis
Oriana Osinaga-Acosta: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Manuel Peralvo: Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN)
Esteban Pinto: Medio Ambiente y Salud -BIOMAS - Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA)
Sassan Saatchi: California Institute of Technology
Miles Silman: Environment and Sustainability
J. Sebastián Tello: Missouri Botanical Garden
Andrea Terán-Valdez: Centro Jambatú de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios
Kenneth J. Feeley: University of Miami

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract It is largely unknown how South America’s Andean forests affect the global carbon cycle, and thus regulate climate change. Here, we measure aboveground carbon dynamics over the past two decades in 119 monitoring plots spanning a range of >3000 m elevation across the subtropical and tropical Andes. Our results show that Andean forests act as strong sinks for aboveground carbon (0.67 ± 0.08 Mg C ha−1 y−1) and have a high potential to serve as future carbon refuges. Aboveground carbon dynamics of Andean forests are driven by abiotic and biotic factors, such as climate and size-dependent mortality of trees. The increasing aboveground carbon stocks offset the estimated C emissions due to deforestation between 2003 and 2014, resulting in a net total uptake of 0.027 Pg C y−1. Reducing deforestation will increase Andean aboveground carbon stocks, facilitate upward species migrations, and allow for recovery of biomass losses due to climate change.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-22459-8

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22459-8

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