Abstract
Farm level rates of carbon sequestration are derived for timber and agroforestry systems based on Paraserianthes falcataria. An economic model is used to measure the incremental cost of carbon storage, based on the opportunity cost of land diverted from annual crop production. The method is applied to the Manupali watershed, in the Philippine province of Bukidnon, to estimate carbon storage potential and carbon storage costs at a landscape scale. Carbon storage via land use modification is calculated to cost between $3.30 per ton on fallowed lands and $62.50 per ton on land that otherwise supports high value cropping. Carbon storage through agroforestry is less costly than via a pure tree-based system; a strong argument for the role of agroforestry rather than forestry per se, in re-forestation projects.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.References
Adams D.M., Alig R., McCarl B., Callaway J. and Winnett S. 1999. Minimum cost strategies for sequestering carbon in forests. Land Economics. 75: 360–374.
Asian Development Bank 1991. Appraisal of the forest plantations sector project in the Philippines. Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines.
Bin L. 1994. The impact assessment of land use change in the watershed area using remote sensing and GIS: A case study of the Manupali watershed, the Philippines. Masters Degree Thesis. School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.
Brown S. 1997. Estimating biomass and biomass change of tropical forests-A Primer. FAO Forestry Paper Number 134.
Brown S., Sadhe J., Cannell M., and Kauppi P. E. 1996. Management of forests for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. In: Working Group II, Second Assessment Report, Intragovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Bruce J.P., Lee H. and Haites E.F. 1996. The social costs of climate change: Greenhouse damage and the benefit of control. Climate change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change. Chapter 6, pp 178–224. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Coxhead I., Shively G.E. and Shuai X. 2002. Development Policies, Resource Constraints, and Agricultural Expansion on the Philippine Land Frontier. Environment and Development Economics 7: 341–364.
Dudek J. and LeBlanc A. 1990. Offsetting new CO2 emissions: A rational first greenhouse policy step. Contemporary Policy Issues. 8: 29–41.
Enquist B. and Niklas K. 2002. Global allocation rules for patterns of biomass partitioning in seed plants. Science. 295: 1517–1520.
Frumhoff P.C., Goetze D.C. and Harner J.J. 1998. Linking Solutions to Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss through the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Heath L.S., Birdsey R.A., Row C. and Plantinga A.J. 1996. Carbon pools and fluxes in U.S. forest products. NATO ASI Series 1(40): 271–78.
Houghton J.T. 1996. Climate Change 1995: The Science of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Houghton J.T., Callender B.A. and Varney S.K. (eds), 1992. Climate Change 1992: The Supplementary Report to the IPCC Scientific Assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Manne A.S. and Richels R.G. 1991. Global CO2 emission reductions-the impacts of rising costs. Energy Journal. 12: 87–108.
Nissen T.M. and Midmore D.J. 1999. Aboveground and belowground competition between intercropped cabbage and young Eucalyptus torelliana. Agroforestry Systems 46: 83–93.
Nissen T.M., Midmore D.J. and Keeler A.G. 2001. Biophysical and economic tradeoffs of intercropping timber with food crops in the Philippine uplands. Agricultural Systems 67: 49–69.
Poudel D.D., Midmore D.J. and Hargrove W.L. 1998. An analysis of commercial vegetable farms in relation to sustainability in the uplands of Southeast Asia. Agricultural Systems 58: 107–128.
Reddy S. and Price C. 1999. Carbon sequestration and conservation of tropical forests under uncertainty. Journal of Agricultural Economics. 50: 17–35.
Shively G.E. and Zelek C.A. 2002. Linking economic policy and environmental outcomes at a watershed scale. Philippine Journal of Development 29: 101–125.
Smith J. and Scherr S.J. 2002. Forest Carbon and Local Livelihoods: Assessment of Opportunities and Policy Recommendations. CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 37. Center for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Trexler M. and Haugen C. 1995. Keeping it Green: Tropical Forestry Opportunities for Mitigating Climate Change. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
Uriarte T. and Pinol A. 1996. Tree volume, yield prediction and economic rotation of Albizia falcataria in Mindanao Philippines.Journal of Tropical Forest Scienc. 8: 289–299.
Watson R.T., Zinyowera M.C. and Moss R.H. (eds), 1998. The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
West L.T., Lawrence K.S., Dayot A.A., Tomas L.M. and Yeck R.D. 1997. Micromorphology and soil development as indicators of ash age on Mindinao, the Philippines. pp. 335–343. In: Shoba S. Miedena R. and Gerasimova M. (eds), Soil Micromorphology: Studies on Soil Diversity, Diagnostics, Dynamics. 10th International Working Meeting on Soil Micromorphology, Moscow, Russia 8-13 July 1996. Sub-commission on Soil Micromorphology, Interantional Society of Soil Science, Moscow-Wageningen.
Zelek C.A. and Shively G.E. 2003. Measuring the opportunity cost of carbon sequestration in tropical agriculture. Land Economics 79: 342–354.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shively, G., Zelek, C., Midmore, D. et al. Carbon sequestration in a tropical landscape: an economic model to measure its incremental cost. Agroforestry Systems 60, 189–197 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AGFO.0000024409.05640.ca
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AGFO.0000024409.05640.ca