Carbon sequestration with special reference to agroforestry in cold deserts of Ladakh.

Abstract

Global warming risks from emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by anthropogenic activities have increased the need for the identification of ecosystems with high carbon sink capacity as an alternative mitigation strategy of terrestrial carbon sequestration. The agroforestry sector has received recent attention for its enormous potential carbon pools that reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere. The Nubra Valley (Trans-Himalayan region) is covered with more than 575,000 agroforestry plantations (willow and poplar). These species have been found to sequester more than 75,000 tonnes of carbon. Every year these plantations are contributing 400 tonnes of leaf litter to the ground, which is one of the best sources of soil organic carbon. This communication attempts to suggest some appropriate management practices to improve soil organic carbon pools by analysing available information of agroforestry plants in the Nubra Valley by quantification of biomass contribution by willow and poplar species within the valley and CO 2 sequestration rates by the living biomass.