Increasing carbon storage in intact African tropical forests

Simon L. Lewis (), Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Bonaventure Sonké, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Timothy R. Baker, Lucas O. Ojo, Oliver L. Phillips, Jan M. Reitsma, Lee White, James A. Comiskey, Marie-Noël Djuikouo K, Corneille E. N. Ewango, Ted R. Feldpausch, Alan C. Hamilton, Manuel Gloor, Terese Hart, Annette Hladik, Jon Lloyd, Jon C. Lovett, Jean-Remy Makana, Yadvinder Malhi, Frank M. Mbago, Henry J. Ndangalasi, Julie Peacock, Kelvin S.-H. Peh, Douglas Sheil, Terry Sunderland, Michael D. Swaine, James Taplin, David Taylor, Sean C. Thomas, Raymond Votere and Hannsjörg Wöll
Additional contact information
Simon L. Lewis: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Bonaventure Sonké: Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, University of Yaounde I, PO Box 047, Yaounde, Cameroon
Kofi Affum-Baffoe: Resource Management Support Centre, Forestry Commission of Ghana, PO Box 1457, Kumasi, Ghana
Timothy R. Baker: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Lucas O. Ojo: University of Agriculture, PMB 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
Oliver L. Phillips: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Jan M. Reitsma: Bureau Waardenburg bv, PO Box 365, 4100 AJ Culemborg, The Netherlands
Lee White: Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET), BP 7847, Libreville, Gabon
James A. Comiskey: SI/MAB Biodiversity Program, Smithsonian Institution, Suite 3123, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington DC 20560, USA
Marie-Noël Djuikouo K: Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, University of Yaounde I, PO Box 047, Yaounde, Cameroon
Corneille E. N. Ewango: Forest Ecology & Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 342, NL-6700, The Netherlands
Ted R. Feldpausch: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Alan C. Hamilton: Plantlife International, 14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 1DX, UK
Manuel Gloor: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Terese Hart: Wildlife Conservation Society–DRC, 1725 Avenue Monjiba, Chanic Building 2nd floor, Ngalinema, BP 240, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of Congo
Annette Hladik: Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, Natures, Sociétés, MNHN, 4 av. du Petit Château, 91 800 Brunoy, France
Jon Lloyd: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Jon C. Lovett: Centre for Ecology, Law and Policy, University of York
Jean-Remy Makana: Wildlife Conservation Society–DRC, 1725 Avenue Monjiba, Chanic Building 2nd floor, Ngalinema, BP 240, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of Congo
Yadvinder Malhi: Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University
Frank M. Mbago: University of Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35060, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Henry J. Ndangalasi: University of Dar es Salaam, PO Box 35060, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Julie Peacock: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Kelvin S.-H. Peh: Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds
Douglas Sheil: Centre for International Forestry Research, PO Box 0113 BOCBD, Bogor 16000, Indonesia
Terry Sunderland: SI/MAB Biodiversity Program, Smithsonian Institution, Suite 3123, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington DC 20560, USA
Michael D. Swaine: Cruickshank Building, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
James Taplin: Centre for Ecology, Law and Policy, University of York
David Taylor: Museum Building, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, University of Dublin
Sean C. Thomas: Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B3, Canada
Raymond Votere: Resource Management Support Centre, Forestry Commission of Ghana, PO Box 1457, Kumasi, Ghana
Hannsjörg Wöll: Sommersbergseestr. 291

Nature, 2009, vol. 457, issue 7232, 1003-1006

Abstract: Tropical forests grab carbon Tropical forests store and process large amounts of carbon, affecting the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, and hence the rate and magnitude of climate change. The extent of the contribution of tropical forests in this role is uncertain, largely because of a lack of monitoring. An international collaboration has now collected and analysed data from a ten-country network of 79 long-term monitoring plots across the largest tropical continent - Africa. Their findings reveal that above-ground carbon storage in live trees increased by 0.63 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year between 1968 and 2007. Extrapolation to unmeasured forest components and scaling to the continent implies a total increase in carbon storage in African tropical forest trees of 340 million tonnes a year. These results provide evidence that increasing carbon storage in old-growth forests is a pan-tropical phenomenon.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07771

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