Carbon concentration in the coastal afforestation sites of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study quantified carbon in tree biomass and soil in the coastal afforestation sites of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. It estimated that the total biomass density of Avicennia alba, Avicennia officinalis, Casuarina equisetifolia, and Sonneratia apetala were 225.81 ± 13.85, 56.07 ± 9.21, 320.39 ± 20.84 and 179.82 ± 4.69 tha-1, respectively, with mean annual increment of 9.82 ± .60, 7.01 ± 1.15, 32.07 ± 1.63 and 7.82 ± .2 tha-1, respectively. Furthermore, the total biomass carbon of A. alba, A. officinalis, C. equisetifolia, and S. apetala were 112.90 ± 6.92, 28.03 ± 4.61, 160.19 ± 10.42 and 89.91 ± 2.34 tCha-1, respectively, with mean annual increment of 4.91 ± .30, 3.51 ± .58, 16.04 ± .81 and 3.91 ± .10 tCha-1yr-1, respectively. The soil organic carbon stock was the highest in the A. alba plantation (12.45 ± .20 tCha-1 at 10 cm depth and 37.33 ± .61 tCha-1 at 30 cm depth). On the contrary, the soil carbon stock in the C. equisetifolia stands were the lowest at both soil depths (4.43 ± .20 at 10 cm depth and 13.30 ± .61 tCha-1 at 30 cm depth). However, the total carbon, which includes that of the tree biomass and soil, was the highest at both soil depths in the C. equisetifolia stands (164.63 ± 10.58 tCha-1 and 173.49 ± 10.90 tCha-1), and the lowest in the A. officinalis stands. The present study concludes that C. equisetifolia stands have enormous potential to mitigate climate change in the coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The findings of the study will expedite the research and policymaking on climate change mitigation in Bangladesh.