Carbon Sequestration in Pasture and Silvo-pastoral
Systems under Conservation Management
in Ecosystems of Tropical America
María Cristina Amézquita
Scientific Director
Carbon Sequestration Project (2001-2007)
The Netherlands Cooperation
CIPAV-U.Amazonia-CIAT-CATIE-Wageningen U.
CIAT’s Science Park, Cali, Colombia
Contents
1. Global Context (1997-2007)
2. Our Project
3. Methodological Contributions
4. Results, Policy Recommendations
1. Global Context
(1997-2007)
World Challenge
Reduce 3.3 Pg of atmospheric CO2/year
Carbon Sequestration
Transferring atmospheric CO2 into long-lived
pools, keeping it stored so that it is not
immediately re-emitted.
(Lal, 2004)
CMASC 4-04
Global C-stocks in Vegetation and
Soil to 1m depth (IPCC, 2000)
Biome
Area
9
10 ha
Boreal forests
Tropical forests
Temperate forests
Tropical grasslands
Temperate grasslands
Deserts and
semideserts
Tundra
Wetlands
Croplands
Global carbon stocks (Gt) in
______________________________________
Vegetation
Soil
Total
1.37
1.76
1.04
2.25
1.25
4.55
88
212
59
66
9
8
471
216
100
264
295
191
559
428
159
330
304
199
0.95
0.35
1.60
6
15
3
121
225
128
127
240
131
Role of Tropical Pasture Systems
in Carbon Sequestration
2500 Mha in the World (17% of World’s surface)
 422 Mha in Tropical America (25% of TA’s surface)
(FAO 2000)


Pasture soils: important C store (Van Ginkel et al., 1999)

Forage legumes and deep-rooted grasses
store more C than native Savanna (Fisher et al., 1994)
Area in Tropical Regions Potentially
Available for Soil C-Sequestration
Land use
Africa
Asia
Tropical
America
Total
----------------------------Mha--------------------------------
Logged forests
Forest fallows
Deforested watersheds
Desertified drylands
Total
39.0
59.3
3.1
740.9
842.3
53.6
58.8
56.5
748.0
916.9
44.0
84.8
27.2
162.0
318.0
136.6
202.8
86.9
1650.9
2077.2
Adapted from Grainger, 1988; Schroeder, 1992
CMASC 4-04
Tropical America
Indicator
World %
*******************************
1. Population
8
In Agriculture
4
2. Continental area
11
55% Forest
23
32% agriculture
11
13% Urban
3. Water resources
22
Region/world ratio
5
4. Cattle inventory
21
Lactating cows
18
Meat production
17
Milk production
9
Pastures: 77 % of
Agricultural land
TA Pastures area: 17%
of World Pastures area
FAO (2000)
Land Use Change - Last 60 years
(Deforestation phase)
Land Use Change - Recovery Options
Minimum Tillage
Grass-legume pastures
Forage Legume Trees
Organic Fertilization
Manual Weed Control
2. Our Project
Evaluate C Sequestration in the
Recovery Phase
Native Forest
…
Pasture &
Silvopastoral
Systems
Secondary Forest
Project Ecosystems
Andean Hillsides
(96 million ha)
Inceptisols, Andisols, 25-65% slope
pH
5.5
N (gr/kg)
4
P (ppm)
4
K (cmol/kg) 0.5
Sand (%)
42
Clay (%)
30
Humid Tropical Forest
Amazonia
(300 million ha)
Oxisols, Ultisols
pH
4.3
N (gr/kg)
2
P (ppm)
3
K (cmol/kg) 0.2
Sand (%)
45
Clay (%)
40
Sub-humid Tropical Forest
(6 months dry season)
Inceptisols, Entisols
pH
5.7
N (gr/kg)
3.5
P (ppm)
3
K (cmol/kg) 0.4
Sand (%)
30
Clay (%)
37
Farm’s Networks

Andean Hillsides (6 improved, 22 conventional)

Costa Rica (8 improved, 20 conventional)

Amazonia (3 improved, 20 conventional)
Project Objectives
1. C Evaluation:
a) Soil C-stocks in long-established systems
b) Soil C-changes in newly-established systems
c) Above-ground C in agroforestry systems
2. Socio-economic evaluation
3. Extrapolation
4. Policy Recommendations
3. Methodological
Contributions
Soil C Evaluation
• C Sampling Design
Factors: Site altitude/fertility/slope; Land use; Soil depth
• Total C, Oxidisable C, Stable C
•Vegetation measurements:
Botanical Composition, Root biomass
•C Isotope Research
(C3 C4
C4+C3 Vegetation)
C Evaluation
in trees
C-stock changes in newly-established
systems on degraded areas
5 Replicated Experiments
Dovio, Andean Hillsides,
Colombia, Oct 2004
GHG at field level
Thesis Ghent U, Belgium, 2006
4. Project Results
(2002–2007)
Socio-Economic Indices
Andean Hillsides, Colombia
Index
1. Farm area in forest (%)
2. Farm area impr. systems (%)
3. Farm gross income/ha/yr (US$)
4. Farmer self-sufficiency (%)
5. Living conditions (1–5)
6. Mean years of Schooling
Farm Type
Improved Conventional
p
(n=6)
(n=19)
29
14
**
88
44
**
250
50
***
40
32
*
5
3
**
8
6
p = Prob.of statistical significance; * : 0.05 < p < 0.10; ** : 0.01 < p < 0.05; *** : p < 0.01
Source: Cuellar et al, 2003
Extrapolation Study for CSEQ
Vincent van Engelen
288.000 km2
Extrapolation area
Results
80.000 km2
Extrapolation area
Results
10.000 km2
Extrapolation area
750 km2
Extrapolation area
1300 km2
Extrapolation area
5. Policy Recommendations
1. New eligible CDM Projects (Post-Kyoto):
* Well-managed pasture & silvo-pastoral systems
* Avoided deforestation
2. Recovery of degraded areas: Provision
of environmental & socio-economic benefit
Publications
Carbo Europe
“Greengrass” Project
CIRAD, Clermont-Ferrand, France, Sep 2003
Intl. Network for C Sequestration in
Latin America
USDA-USAID-OSU-USP
Piracicaba, Brazil, June 2-6, 2004
Future Plans
2008-2009: Semi-arid Ecosystem,
Colombia
New Project Proposal: RESTORE
Project Team
CIAT, Cali, Colombia, August 16-19, 2007