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CIFOR–ICRAF publishes over 750 publications every year on agroforestry, forests and climate change, landscape restoration, rights, forest policy and much more – in multiple languages.

CIFOR–ICRAF addresses local challenges and opportunities while providing solutions to global problems for forests, landscapes, people and the planet.

We deliver actionable evidence and solutions to transform how land is used and how food is produced: conserving and restoring ecosystems, responding to the global climate, malnutrition, biodiversity and desertification crises. In short, improving people’s lives.

Sebastian Persch on land-use change: A root perspective

Tropical peat swamp forests are among the carbon (C) richest ecosystems on earth, but are increasingly degraded and converted to oil palm plantations. Estimates of C losses from this conversion are currently critically lacking. In our case study we examined above- and belowground C stocks in the phytomass of a primary peat swamp forest, a degraded drained peat forest, and a seven-year-old oil palm plantation on peat in Jambi province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Total C stocks in the phytomass were 215.6 ± 7.1 in the primary peat swamp forest, 113.0 ± 7.5 in the degraded forest, and 26.3 ± 3.4 Mg ha-1 in the oil palm plantation. Roots represented 10%, 15% and 18% of total biomass C stocks in the previously mentioned ecosystems. Our results indicate that as much as 102.7 ± 10.4 and 189.3 ± 7.9 Mg C ha-1 of phytomass can be lost when a primary peat swamp forest is degraded (logged and drained) and converted to a seven year old oil palm plantation, respectively. Our findings underline the importance of protecting this fragile disappearing ecosystem.Moderator: Robert Nasi, Deputy Director General - Research, CIFOR.Speaker: Sebastian Persch, PhD student, CIFOR.Date: 19 August 2014 Location: CIFOR Headquarters, Bogor, Indonesia. For more information got to http://www.cifor.org

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