Comparative Status of Sequestered Carbon Stock of Azadirachta indica and Conocarpus erectus at the University of Karachi Campus, Pakistan

Authors

  • Amber Ajani Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi
  • Zafar Iqbal Shams Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/ije.v5i2.15009

Keywords:

Azadirachta indica, Biomass, Carbon sequestration, Carbon dioxide, Conocarpus erectus, Trees

Abstract

Carbon sequestration by trees is one of the most cost-effective and efficient methods to remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere since trees remove and store carbon at higher rates compared to other land covers. Carbon storage by trees typically ranges from 1 to 8 MgC ha-1 yr-1.The carbon is sequestered in different parts of the trees as biomass. The measurements of biomass provide reasonably accurate estimate of the amount of carbon that was removed from lower troposphere over the years. Therefore, the present study investigates and compares the carbon stock of native Azadirachta indica and exotic Conocarpus erectus, which are extensively cultivated in the campus of the University of Karachi, Pakistan. The above-ground and below-ground biomass of 327 trees of A. indica and 253 trees of C. erectus were estimated by using non-destructive method. The average carbon content of A. indica is calculated to be 662.32 + 1144.81 Kg while that of C. erectus is 192.70 + 322.60 Kg. The independent t-test analysis showed significant difference (p < 0.001) between the means of the carbon content of both the species. The carbon contents of two different species were also correlated with bole’s diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree’s height. The analysis demonstrated greater correlation between the carbon content and the DBH of both the species compared to that with their height. The study will help to understand the carbon sequestration potential of two different types of species for planting particularly in urban area of the world.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENT
Volume-5, Issue-2, March-May 2016, Page: 89-97

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Abstract
1699
PDF
1163

Downloads

Published

2016-05-26

How to Cite

Ajani, A., & Shams, Z. I. (2016). Comparative Status of Sequestered Carbon Stock of Azadirachta indica and Conocarpus erectus at the University of Karachi Campus, Pakistan. International Journal of Environment, 5(2), 89–97. https://doi.org/10.3126/ije.v5i2.15009

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2016)

Section

Research Papers

License

The author(s) acknowledge that the manuscript submitted is his/her/their own original work; all authors participated in the work in a substantive way and are prepared to take public responsibility for the work; all authors have seen and approved the manuscript as submitted;  the manuscript has not been published and is not being submitted or considered for publication elsewhere; the text, illustrations, and any other materials included in the manuscript do not infringe(plagiarism) upon any existing copyright or other rights of anyone.

Notwithstanding the above, the Contributor(s) or, if applicable the Contributor’s Employer, retain(s) all proprietary rights other than copyright, such as Patent rights; to use, free of charge, all parts of this article for the author’s future works in books, lectures, classroom teaching or oral presentations; the right to reproduce the article for their own purposes provided the copies are not offered for sale.

The copyright to the contribution identified is transferred to IJE.