Ecosystems and People (Jan 2019)

Modelling carbon stock and carbon sequestration ecosystem services for policy design: a comprehensive approach using a dynamic vegetation model

  • Sandra Quijas,
  • Alice Boit,
  • Kirsten Thonicke,
  • Guillermo Murray-Tortarolo,
  • Tuyeni Mwampamba,
  • Margaret Skutsch,
  • Margareth Simoes,
  • Nataly Ascarrunz,
  • Marielos Peña-Claros,
  • Laurence Jones,
  • Eric Arets,
  • Víctor J. Jaramillo,
  • Elena Lazos,
  • Marisol Toledo,
  • Lucieta G. Martorano,
  • Rodrigo Ferraz,
  • Patricia Balvanera

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/26395908.2018.1542413
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 42 – 60

Abstract

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Ecosystem service (ES) models can only inform policy design adequately if they incorporate ecological processes. We used the Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land (LPJmL) model, to address following questions for Mexico, Bolivia and Brazilian Amazon: (i) How different are C stocks and C sequestration quantifications under standard (when soil and litter C and heterotrophic respiration are not considered) and comprehensive (including all C stock and heterotrophic respiration) approach? and (ii) How does the valuation of C stock and C sequestration differ in national payments for ES and global C funds or markets when comparing both approach? We found that up to 65% of C stocks have not been taken into account by neglecting to include C stored in soil and litter, resulting in gross underpayments (up to 500 times lower). Since emissions from heterotrophic respiration of organic material offset a large proportion of C gained through growth of living matter, we found that markets and decision-makers are inadvertently overestimating up to 100 times C sequestrated. New approaches for modelling C services relevant ecological process-based can help accounting for C in soil, litter and heterotrophic respiration and become important for the operationalization of agreements on climate change mitigation following the COP21 in 2015.

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