Carbon Stock Assessment of a Mangrove Forest in Cotabato City, Philippines

Abstract

The potential of mangrove forests to sequester carbon must be recognized by local government units and other stakeholders. Awareness of this aspect will promote participation among stakeholders in the conservation efforts for this ecosystem. The current study presents the carbon stock assessment of a mangrove forest in Cotabato City, Philippines. There were 3 study sites purposively selected for this study. A total of 12 sampling plots with a size of 5m × 40m each were established in the three study sites. Above ground and below-ground biomass were determined. Two soil samples were obtained in each plot for soil carbon analysis. Mean total biomass density is about 605 Mg ha-1 with mean total carbon stored of about 491 MgC ha-1 and the mean carbon saturation deficit is 0.45. These figures show the importance of this mangrove ecosystem in sequestering a substantial amount of atmospheric carbon, thus the coordinated efforts of Local Government Units, residents, and private organizations are necessary for the sustainability of these natural resources.

Keywords: Mangrove, Blue carbon, Assessment, Carbon stock, Sequestration

JEL Classification: Q23