Dataset Information

Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation.

ABSTRACT: Conversion of tropical peat swamp forest to drainage-based agriculture alters greenhouse gas (GHG) production, but the magnitude of these changes remains highly uncertain. Current emissions factors for oil palm grown on drained peat do not account for temporal variation over the plantation cycle and only consider CO₂ emissions. Here, we present direct measurements of GHGs emitted during the conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation, accounting for CH₄ and N₂O as well as CO₂. Our results demonstrate that emissions factors for converted peat swamp forest is in the range 70-117 t CO₂ eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (95% confidence interval, CI), with CO₂ and N₂O responsible for ca. 60 and ca. 40% of this value, respectively. These GHG emissions suggest that conversion of Southeast Asian peat swamp forest is contributing between 16.6 and 27.9% (95% CI) of combined total national GHG emissions from Malaysia and Indonesia or 0.44 and 0.74% (95% CI) of annual global emissions.

SUBMITTER: Cooper HV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6972824 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation.

Cooper Hannah V HV Evers Stephanie S Aplin Paul P Crout Neil N Dahalan Mohd Puat Bin MPB Sjogersten Sofie S

Nature communications 20200121 1

Conversion of tropical peat swamp forest to drainage-based agriculture alters greenhouse gas (GHG) production, but the magnitude of these changes remains highly uncertain. Current emissions factors for oil palm grown on drained peat do not account for temporal variation over the plantation cycle and only consider CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. Here, we present direct measurements of GHGs emitted during the conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation, accounting for CH<sub>4</sub> and N<s ...[more]

PMID: 31964892

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Project description:BackgroundAmazon palm swamp peatlands are major carbon (C) sinks and reservoirs. In Peru, this ecosystem is widely threatened owing to the recurrent practice of cutting Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. Such degradation could significantly damage peat deposits by altering C fluxes through fine root productivity, mortality, and decomposition rates which contribute to and regulate peat accumulation. Along a same peat formation, we studied an undegraded site (Intact), a moderately degraded site (mDeg) and a heavily degraded site (hDeg) over 11 months. Fine root C stocks and fluxes were monthly sampled by sequential coring. Concomitantly, fine root decomposition was investigated using litter bags. In the experimental design, fine root stocks and dynamics were assessed separately according to vegetation type (M. flexuosa palm and other tree species) and M. flexuosa age class. Furthermore, results obtained from individual palms and trees were site-scaled by using forest composition and structure.ResultsAt the scale of individuals, fine root C biomass in M. flexuosa adults was higher at the mDeg site than at the Intact and hDeg sites, while in trees it was lowest at the hDeg site. Site-scale fine root biomass (Mg C ha-1) was higher at the mDeg site (0.58 ± 0.05) than at the Intact (0.48 ± 0.05) and hDeg sites (0.32 ± 0.03). Site-scale annual fine root mortality rate was not significantly different between sites (3.4 ± 1.3, 2.0 ± 0.8, 1.5 ± 0.7 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) while productivity (same unit) was lower at the hDeg site (1.5 ± 0.8) than at the Intact site (3.7 ± 1.2), the mDeg site being intermediate (2.3 ± 0.9). Decomposition was slow with 63.5-74.4% of mass remaining after 300 days and it was similar among sites and vegetation types.ConclusionsThe significant lower fine root C stock and annual productivity rate at the hDeg site than at the Intact site suggests a potential for strong degradation to disrupt peat accretion. These results stress the need for a sustainable management of these forests to maintain their C sink function.

Dataset Information

Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation.

Publications

Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation.

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