Africa's tropical mountains store two-thirds more carbon than previously believed: Study

A study published on Wednesday revealed that tropical mountain forests in African countries may store up to two-thirds more carbon than what was previously anticipated. These forests store around 150 tonnes of carbon per hectare, which means that one hectare of forest saves carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to providing at least 100 homes with electricity for a year, the International study published in Nature stated. Generally, it is believed that forests at higher altitudes contain less carbon compared to lowland forests owing to factors such as soil and climatic changes that affect growth and thus the amount of carbon the trees can absorb. The researchers based their results after analysing data on carbon stored in trees across 44 highland sites in as many as 12 African countries. 

'Mountain forests play vital role in combating climate change' 

The study also found that African mountain forests are similar in structure to lowland forests in the continent and store more carbon per unit than the Amazon rainforest. Underlining the important role such mountain forests play in combating climate change, the study also stated that the average carbon content of Africa's tropical mountain forests is 149.4 tons per hectare, more or less equivalent to the average carbon content of African lowlands. The researchers also found that at least 0.8 million hectares of tropical mountain forest have been lost in the last 20 years. These have been mostly in Uganda, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, emitting around 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

Researchers appeal to avoid deforestation 

Showing their concerns, the researchers reported that if current deforestation rates continue, a further 0.5 million hectares of these forests are expected to be lost in the next 10 years. It should be mentioned here that under the Bonn Challenge, a number of African nations have committed large amounts of land to forest restoration.
They accepted the fact that forest restoration is important to mitigate climate change, however, they suggested that avoiding deforestation should be the topmost priority. They also did not deny the fact that past underestimations of carbon storage capacity by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) may have led to governments being less concerned about preserving high-altitude forest areas. 

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