Document Type : ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Author

Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

10.52293/WES.3.1.15

Abstract

Terrestrial ecosystems, which store more carbon than the atmosphere, are vital in influencing carbon dioxide-driven climate change. Climate and land-use change are critical and interlinked components of the carbon budget in human-dominated landscape. Using InVEST model, maps of land use and stocks in four carbon pools (aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soil and dead organic matter) are used to estimate the amount of carbon currently stored in the landscape and the amount of carbon sequestered over time. InVEST model was integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques in building a resilient climate regulatory ecosystem for Nigeria based on REDD policy scenario. The result reveals that there is a reduction in forest land by 68.00% in 1984, 52.00% in 2003, and 48.00% in 2035. This has led to a decrease in total carbon stored from 15594440704.00Mgha-1yr-1 in 1984 to 11968108544.00Mgha-1yr-1 in 2003 and then to 11115581440Mg ha-1yr-1 in 2035. Also, total carbon sequestered decrease by 4856430592.00Mgha-1yr-1in 1984 to 2018537728.00Mgha-1yr-1 in 2003, and then to 82727.99Mgha-1yr-1 in 2035. Based on these findings, REDD policy scenario was designed to increase carbon storage credits in all land useland cover through sustained forest protection and enhancement of forest carbon stocks, and the following can be achieved, 4619.97 Mgha-1yr-1 of carbon can be stored for 2003 and 2035. For carbon sequestered, 1707.79Mgha-1yr-1 was stored between 1984 and 2003, while between 2003 and 2035, 912.85Mgha-1yr-1 was stored. A greater resilient is achieved by adopting the REDD policy because carbon stored can cut down emission by 89.00% and 87.00% in 2003 and 2035, while sequestered carbon by 33.00% between 1984 to 2003 and 2003 to 2035 unconditionally under the Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario.

Keywords

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