High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests

Aida Cuni-Sanchez (), Martin J. P. Sullivan, Philip J. Platts, Simon L. Lewis, Rob Marchant, Gérard Imani, Wannes Hubau, Iveren Abiem, Hari Adhikari, Tomas Albrecht, Jan 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 Haulleville, Mathieu Decuyper, Ben DeVries, Jiri Dolezal, Vincent Droissart, Corneille Ewango, Senbeta Feyera, Aster Gebrekirstos, Roy 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, Andrew 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 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 and Etienne Zibera
Additional contact information
Aida Cuni-Sanchez: University of York
Martin J. P. Sullivan: Manchester Metropolitan University
Philip J. Platts: University of York
Simon L. Lewis: University of Leeds
Rob Marchant: University of York
Gérard Imani: Université Officielle de Bukavu
Wannes Hubau: Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa
Iveren Abiem: University of Jos
Hari Adhikari: University of Helsinki
Tomas Albrecht: Charles University
Jan Altman: Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Science
Christian Amani: Université Officielle de Bukavu
Abreham B. Aneseyee: Addis Ababa University
Valerio Avitabile: European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Lindsay Banin: UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Rodrigue Batumike: Université du Cinquantenaire Lwiro, Département de sciences de l’environnement
Marijn Bauters: Ghent University
Hans Beeckman: Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa
Serge K. Begne: University of Leeds
Amy C. Bennett: University of Leeds
Robert Bitariho: Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Pascal Boeckx: Ghent University
Jan Bogaert: Université de Liege
Achim Bräuning: Institute for Geography, Friedrich Alexander University
Franklin Bulonvu: Institut Supérieur d’Agroforesterie et de Gestion de l’Environnement de Kahuzi-Biega (ISAGE-KB)
Neil D. Burgess: UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC)
Kim Calders: Ghent University
Colin Chapman: George Washington University
Hazel Chapman: Nigerian Montane Forest Project
James Comiskey: Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Park Service
Thales Haulleville: University of Ghent
Mathieu Decuyper: World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Ben DeVries: University of Guelph, Guelph
Jiri Dolezal: Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Science
Vincent Droissart: University of Yaoundé I
Corneille Ewango: Université de Kisangani
Senbeta Feyera: Addis Ababa University
Aster Gebrekirstos: Dendrochronology Laboratory, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Roy Gereau: Missouri Botanical Garden
Martin Gilpin: University of Leeds
Dismas Hakizimana: University of Burundi
Jefferson Hall: Smithsonian Institution Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Alan Hamilton: Kunming Institute of Botany
Olivier Hardy: Université Libre de Bruxelles
Terese Hart: Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
Janne Heiskanen: University of Helsinki
Andreas Hemp: University of Bayreuth
Martin Herold: Wageningen University
Ulrike Hiltner: Institute for Geography, Friedrich Alexander University
David Horak: Charles University
Marie-Noel Kamdem: University of Yaoundé I
Charles Kayijamahe: International Gorilla Conservation Programme
David Kenfack: Smithsonian Institution Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Mwangi J. Kinyanjui: Karatina University
Julia Klein: Colorado State University
Janvier Lisingo: Université de Kisangani
Jon Lovett: University of Leeds
Mark Lung: Eco2librium LLC
Jean-Remy Makana: Université de Kisangani
Yadvinder Malhi: University of Oxford
Andrew Marshall: University of York
Emanuel H. Martin: College of African Wildlife Management
Edward T. A. Mitchard: University of Edinburgh
Alexandra Morel: University of Dundee
John T. Mukendi: Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa
Tom Muller: Independent Botanist
Felix Nchu: Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Brigitte Nyirambangutse: University of Rwanda
Joseph Okello: Ghent University
Kelvin S.-H. Peh: University of Southampton
Petri Pellikka: University of Helsinki
Oliver L. Phillips: University of Leeds
Andrew Plumptre: BirdLife International
Lan Qie: University of Lincoln
Francesco Rovero: University of Florence
Moses N. Sainge: Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG)
Christine B. Schmitt: University of Bonn
Ondrej Sedlacek: Charles University
Alain S. K. Ngute: University of the Sunshine Coast
Douglas Sheil: Wageningen University
Demisse Sheleme: Addis Ababa University
Tibebu Y. Simegn: African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Biodiversity Conservation and Landscape Management Program, Simien Mountains National Park
Murielle Simo-Droissart: University of Yaoundé I
Bonaventure Sonké: University of Yaoundé I
Teshome Soromessa: Addis Ababa University
Terry Sunderland: University of British Columbia
Miroslav Svoboda: Czech University of Life Sciences
Hermann Taedoumg: University of Yaoundé I
James Taplin: UK Research and Innovation
David Taylor: National University of Singapore
Sean C. Thomas: University of Toronto
Jonathan Timberlake: Biodiversity Foundation for Africa
Darlington Tuagben: Forestry Development Authority of the Government of Liberia (FDA)
Peter Umunay: Yale University
Eustrate Uzabaho: International Gorilla Conservation Programme
Hans Verbeeck: Ghent University
Jason Vleminckx: Florida International University
Göran Wallin: University of Gothenburg
Charlotte Wheeler: University of Edinburgh
Simon Willcock: University of Bangor
John T. Woods: University of Liberia
Etienne Zibera: University of Rwanda

Nature, 2021, vol. 596, issue 7873, 536-542

Abstract: Abstract Tropical forests store 40–50 per cent of terrestrial vegetation carbon1. However, spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests2. Owing to climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation3, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane forests compared with lowland forests2. 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 megagrams of carbon per hectare (95% confidence interval 137.1–164.2), which is comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network4 and about 70 per cent and 32 per cent higher than averages from plot networks in montane2,5,6 and lowland7 forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change default values for these forests in Africa8. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests4 is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million hectares 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 to guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse9,10 and carbon-rich ecosystems.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03728-4 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:596:y:2021:i:7873:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03728-4

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03728-4

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().