Carbon Sequestration and Storage Potential of Indigenous Tree Species in the Fresh Water Swamp Forests of Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Abstract

Natural wetlands such as freshwater marshlands ecosystem plays a crucial role for its ecological importance by supporting an extensive array of life forms that lives under different habitats within it, and for its carbon storage and sequestration potential. In Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (Mindanao, Philippines), peat swamp forest habitat exists about 49% of the marshland area but information about its carbon storage and sequestration capacity is limited. In this study the tall-pole forest subtype of Agusan Marsh peat swamp was assess for its total biomass, carbon sequestration and storage potential. Furthermore, relationship between carbon stock with species richness and species density were evaluated. A field survey was conducted by establishing six circular plots to collect data on tree inventory and biomass. These were then used to compute for species richness, density, carbon stock and estimated CO2 sequestration. Recorded average total tree biomass in this study was at 514.03 tons ha-1 which is much higher than previously reported surveys of tall-pole peat swamp forest in other areas. Five tree species were identified to have contributed the greatest total carbon stock in the study area among the 67 tree species namely: Calophyllum inophyllum (11.2 %), Palaquium pinnatinervium (7.5 %), Aglaia sp (5.9 %), Vitex parviflora (4.6 %) and Lithocarpus celebicus (4.4 %). However, species richness and species density were not significantly able to predict carbon stocking of the area accounting only about 28.5% and 0.3%, respectively. Overall, the CO2 sequestered by tall-pole forest in Agusan Marsh was classified as moderately high accounting to about 942,28 tons ha-1 highlighting the relative importance of this subtype forest as storehouse of carbon in a wetland ecosystem..