Variation of carbon pool along vegetation types: A case study in the Hallaydeghi-Asebot National Park, Eastern Ethiopia
2025
Dilnesa, Gebeyaw | Argaw, Mekuria | Asefa, Addisu
Estimating carbon stocks of protected areas is essential for improved understanding of carbon cycle; however, studies in the Hallaydeghi-Asebot National Park (HANP) are lacking. Thus, this study was aimed to estimate the potential reservoir of carbon in the HANP and its’ variation across three vegetation types (woodland, grassland, and bushland). The variations in soil organic carbon stock density, aboveground and below ground biomass and carbon, and litter biomass and carbon pools were estimated from data collected from sixty, 30 m x 30 m area sample plots. Due to non-normal distribution of data for LHG carbon stock, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine the effect of vegetation type, followed by Mann-Whitney U test for pair-wise comparisons between vegetation types. Results showed that total mean carbon stock of HANP in 2019 was estimated at 56.73 ± 3.25 t C per ha, with 208.20 ± 11.92 CO2 equivalents. Soil organic carbon stock contributed significantly greater proportion (74%) to the total carbon stock of the study area compared with that by biomass carbon. The proportion of carbon stock allocation in the different pools of each vegetation type was in the order of: SOCD > AGB > BGB > LHG. Although the mean total carbon stock was similar among vegetation types, the mean soil organic carbon stock density was significantly varied among vegetation types. Soil carbon and aboveground carbon pools are the dominant contributors to the total carbon stock of HANP. Thus, carbon management efforts in the area should focus on soil preservation, reduction of vegetation destruction and assisting regeneration.
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