Forest structure carbon estimation in forest under restoration with the species Scalesia pedunculata on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, Ecuador.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59410/PREPRINT-UEA-vFOR2424ep01-284Keywords:
Estructura forestal, restauración, carbono, CO2eq, islas GalápagosAbstract
The 60% of the flora of the Galapagos Islands is introduced and some of these species have become invasive, seriously affecting the ecosystems of endemic species such as the Scalesia pedunculata forest. The objective of this research was to evaluate the abundance, forest structure and carbon estimation in forests under restoration with the species Scalesia pedunculata on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. These analyses contribute to understanding that ecological restoration initiatives can be effective tools to combat environmental challenges and reinforce sustainability in unique island regions such as Galapagos. It seeks to characterize the density of individuals, estimate aboveground biomass and analyze the relationship between forest structure and carbon capture. For this purpose, ten sampling transects were implemented, adapting the plots to a size of 100X10 m, each plot being 0.1 ha (1000 m2), which allowed a detailed forest inventory. The forest was estimated to have an average of 514 tons of biomass per hectare. The results indicate that the restored forest has a potential of 887 tons of CO2 eq (T/ha). It was observed that as the diameter of the trees increases, so does the biomass and stored carbon, highlighting the importance of maintaining a diversity of tree sizes for ecosystem resilience. It is concluded that the restoration of the S. pedunculata forest is not only crucial to preserve biodiversity, but represents an effective strategy to mitigate climate change.
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