Carbon Balance Manag. 2016 May
23;11(1):6. eCollection 2016.
Carbon storage in Ghanaian cocoa ecosystems.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The recent inclusion of the cocoa sector as an option for carbon storage necessitates the need to quantify the C stocks in cocoasystems of Ghana.
RESULTS:
Using farmers' fields, the carbon (C) stocks in shaded and unshaded cocoa systems selected from the Eastern (ER) and Western (WR) regions of Ghana were measured. Total ecosystem C (biomass C + soil C to 60 cm depth) ranged from 81.8 to 153.9 Mg C/ha. The bulk (~89 %) of the systems' C stock was stored in the soils. The total C stocks were higher in the WR (137.8 ± 8.6 Mg C/ha) than ER (95.7 ± 8.6 Mg C/ha).
CONCLUSION:
Based on the cocoa cultivation area of 1.45
million hectares, the cocoa sector in Ghana potentially could store
118.6-223.2 Gg C in cocoa systems
with cocoa systems aged within 30 years regardless of shade
management. Thus, the decision to include the cocoa sector in the
national carbon accounting emissions budget of Ghana is warranted.
KEYWORDS:
Carbon stocks; Cocoa ecosystem; Shaded and
unshaded cocoa systems
PMID: 27340428
PMCID:
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