Comparison of ecosystem C pools in three forests in Spain and Latin America

Abstract

To face the lack of information of C content in the main forest ecosystems pools from Spain and Latin America, this study compares C pools of three forest ecosystems: a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico, a tropical wet forest in Cuba and a temperate forest in Spain. The Cuban tropical wet forest had the highest total ecosystem C content (190 Mg C ha-1), of which 62% was in the aboveground biomass; followed by the Spanish temperate forest (150 Mg C ha -1) with around 75% of total C content was within soil. The Mexican tropical deciduous forest had the lowest total ecosystem C content (82.6 Mg C ha-1), of which 51% was in the soil. Tropical forests can not guaranteed sequestered C if the forest programs do not consider aboveground biomass protection. In contrast, temperate forests with slower C sequestration rate by means of soil stabilization are less vulnerable to forest programs. © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2006.