Spatial variability of biomass and carbon stock in Jhelum and Chakwal districts of Pakistan: implications for environmental management

Abstract

Rural areas in underdeveloped countries are grappling with numerous environmental challenges, with increasing population pressure significantly contributing to environmental degradation. This study conducts a comprehensive survey to analyse carbon stock in the rural communities of the Jhelum and Chakwal districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The low carbon levels in these areas pose a severe threat to ecosystem services. The carbon stock assessment as a regulatory service of forests involves measurements from standing trees. Descriptive statistics and spatial distribution analyses of Above-Ground Biomass (AGB), Below-Ground Biomass (BGB), Total Biomass (TB), and Biomass Carbon (BC) were conducted, utilising inverse distance weighting interpolation in ArcGIS 10. The results of the study identified several carbon stock hotspots. The mean concentrations of carbon stock were 28.00 t/ha for AGB, 796.72 t/ha for BGB, 255.33 t/ha for TB, and 127.38 t/ha for BC. The lowest mean values at selected sites were 4 t/ha for AGB, 3 t/ha for BGB, 11 t/ha for TB, and 7 t/ha for BC. These findings highlight critical areas where carbon stock is alarmingly low, with the potential to significantly impact the ecosystem. This emphasizes the need for targeted environmental management and conservation efforts to enhance carbon sequestration and sustain ecosystem services.