Earth Observations and Geospatial Science in Service of Sustainable Development Goals pp 117-127 | Cite as
Assessment of the Impact of Deforestation on Forest Carbon Storage. A Case Study of Mabira Forest, Uganda
Abstract
Forests are important ecosystems as they provide a multitude of benefits in terms of climate regulation, recreation, goods, ecological functions, cultural benefits and many others. Regardless of these services, forests have been continuously degraded and destroyed and as a result there has been massive carbon emissions and loss of ecosystem services. The value of forest ecosystem services including the financial gains from the carbon sequestration properties of forests have been often ignored in the current environmental protection strategies due to a shortage of monetary information that can be relied on during planning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide better understanding and quantifiable information on the economic consequences of deforestation in Uganda. This study used satellite imagery, Erdas software, Invest model and advanced GIS techniques to model carbon and carbon loss and also determine the value of the lost carbon using the market based approach. Three satellite images for the years 1995, 2008 and 2018 were used. It was found that the total carbon stock decreased from 9,150,447.78 Mg C in 1995 to 8,956,751.58 Mg C in 2008 and then to 8,481,434.67 Mg C in 2018. This was due to the decrease in the tropical high forest from 65.81% in 1995 to 62.40% in 2008 and then to 58.13% in 2018. The decreasing tropical forest cover led to an increase in the carbon emission over the years and as the result the country experienced an increased loss from Ush47trillion shillings for the period of 1995–2008 to Ush144trillion for the period of 2008–2018. This therefore indicates that it is necessary to consider the monetary value of forest carbon sequestration in the planning, decision and policy making.
Keywords
Deforestation Forest carbon storage Carbon marketReferences
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