The role of biodiversity in mitigating carbon loss from tropical forest systems

Carbon sequestration is a major ecosystem service provided by tropical forest ecosystems yet their capacity to capture atmospheric CO2 is being eroded rapidly through unsustainable exploitation. Approximately 15% of global carbon emissions are attributable to deforestation (equivalent to all vehicle emissions) and thus Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) is essential to mitigate the impact from global climate change. Fuel and food poverty are the two key drivers of tropical forest exploitation with trees being cleared to create agricultural land for the production of crops, timber harvested for fire wood for cooking and forest animals hunted for bushmeat to provide dietary protein. Tropical rainforest regions occupy 50% of its biodiversity; the latter of which provides a multitude of additional ecosystem services e.g. water interception (flood mitigation), pollination, nutrient cycling and soil bioturbation; essential for maintaining productive agricultural systems. This project will examine carbon sequestration and loss by tropical forests impacted by deforestation and degradation (in the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)-listed country of Honduras, Central America) whilst quantifying the role that biodiversity plays in promoting and enhancing carbon capture in both a natural rainforest ecosystems as well as adjacent agricultural land.