TITLE:
Carbon Sequestration Service of a Ramsar Site: A Conservation-Role Model for Defying Developmental Pressure in the Middle of a Rapidly Expanding City
AUTHORS:
Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Nadabi, Hameed Sulaiman
KEYWORDS:
Biomass, Carbon Sequestration, Mangroves, Remote Sensing, Cities
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
22,
2021
ABSTRACT: Mangroves in coastal cities are under threat due to development
pressures. However, mangrove ecosystems can serve as a potential carbon sink
for mitigating the impacts of climate change. The main objective of this study
was to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of mangroves in the Al-Qurm
natural reserve, Muscat, Oman. The reserve was classified into three distinct
zones and was estimated through field measurement and remote sensing techniques.
The study found that each zone sequesters varying levels of carbon. The highest
mean carbon stock was measured in the landward zone (20.2 ± 0.3 kg∙C/m2),
followed by the middle zone (8.7 ± 0.4 kg∙C/m2) and seaward zone
(5.8 ± 0.8 kg∙C/m2), respectively. The carbon sequestration rate of
the sediment range was between 5.0 g C/m2∙year - 12.5 g C/m2∙year.
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from above-ground biomass
showed a positive relationship (r = 0.73) with biomass measured in the field.
However, the average above-ground carbon was underestimated (6.3 kg∙C/m2)
than the above-ground field measurement (7.0 kg∙C/m2). This 0.82 km2 of the natural reserve was estimated to sequester approximately 9512 tonnes of
carbon equivalent to 0.035 Mt of CO2e. This highlights the
importance of conserving this natural reserve, despite a growing demand for
land use in and around the reserve for development needs.