Carbon Sequestration in Temperate Silvopastoral Systems, Argentina

NATALIA BANEGAS; BELEN ROSSNER; DARDO R. LÓPEZ; PRISCILA POWELL; ADA ALBANESI; GERVASIO PIÑEIRO; IGNACIO GASPARRI; GUILLERMO MARTÍNEZ PASTUR; DANTE LOTO; MARCELA LEDESMA; HÉCTOR BAHAMONDE; PABLO L. PERI; CARLOS H. CARRANZA; LAURA CAVALLERO; PEDRO FERNANDEZ; RAÚL PEDRAZA; ROXANA PAOLA ECLESIA

Integrating Landscapes: Agroforestry for Biodiversity Conservation and Food Sovereignty. Advances in Agroforestry

Luxemburgo

Lugar: Luxcemburgo; Año: 2017; p. 453 - 478

Silvopastoral systems practiced in Argentina provide multiple products (e.g., food,wood, fodder) and services, where erosion control and carbon sequestration represent an advantage compared with land-use changes from forests and monocultures (pastures or crops). Therefore, the proposition of feasible models for forest-livestock systems in contrast to the traditional cropping systems, the extensive cattle and sheep systems, and the specialization of plantations continues to be a target of research and extension services.In this chapter, carbon sequestration information at stand level (including importance of soil, stand age, site quality) and landscape level were provided for different regions of Argentina. In the Chaco region, a mature forest of Aspidosperma quebracho blanco stored 67.6 Mg C ha−1 and managed under the new guidelines of Forest Management Incorporating Livestock (FMIL) it is estimated to store 17.1% less carbon due to the reductions in tree density and shrub cover in reference to the unmanaged forests. In the same region, after 6 years of evaluation, the soil organic C (100 cm depth) stored in a silvopastoral system (Prosopis alba and a tropical pasture Chloris gayana) was higher than in an adjacent grazing beef cattle pasture (84.7 vs. 64.6 Mg C ha−1). Estimating the potential regional impact of implementing SPS on carbon stocks across the Dry Chaco, it was found that the positive response of SPS depends largely on the landowner?s decisions and perceptions, and on the initial natural vegetation. In the Mesopotamia region, data of C dynamics highlighted that SPS emerge as a promising alternative for SOC storage and wood production simultaneously. In Patagonia, the total C stored ranged from 108.4 to 182.2 Mg C ha−1 for grasslands and primary native forest, respectively. The C storedin SPS showed an intermediate value of 148.4 Mg C ha−1 and it was distributedapproximately with 85% in soil, 7% in below-ground biomass (understory and treeroots) and 8% in above-ground biomass. The estimated C storage in a ponderosapine plantation growing on native grasslands in northwest Patagonia varied from 65 to 210 Mg C ha−1 for areas with precipitation of 1500 mm year−1, respectively being higher than in pure grasslands (2.6 Mg C ha−1).However, the quantification of the role of silvopastoralism on climate changeadaptation and mitigation activities (carbon sequestration, Greenhouse Gases(GHG) emissions, soil conservation and improvement) should be developed. Theimplementation of clean development mechanism (CDM) offered by the KyotoProtocol by extending payments to low-income farmers who provide C storagethrough sustainable land-use systems such as those SPS is one option. Well-managed SPS increase soil and biomass C storage, while directly improving the livelihoods of farmers through increased livestock production.