Species Diversity, Biomass and Carbon Stock Assessment of Kanhlyashay Natural Mangrove Forest

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems sequester and store large amounts of carbon in both biomass and soil. In this study, species diversity, the above and below-ground biomass as well as carbon stock by the mangroves in Kanhlyashay natural mangrove forest were estimated. Six true mangrove species from four families were recorded in the sample plots of the study area. Among them, Avicennia officinalis L. from the Acanthaceae family was the abundance of species with an importance value of 218.69%. Shannon–Wiener’s diversity index value (H′ = 0.71) of the mangrove community was very low compared to other natural mangrove forests since the mangrove stands in the study site possessed a low number of mangrove species and were dominated by a few species. Estimated mean biomass was 335.55 ± 181.41 Mg ha−1 (AGB = 241.37 ± 132.73 Mg ha−1, BGB = 94.17 ± 48.73 Mg ha−1). The mean overall C-stock of the mangrove stand was 150.25 ± 81.35 Mg C ha−1 and is equivalent to 551.10 ± 298.64 Mg CO2 eq. The role of forests in climate change is two-fold as a cause and a solution for greenhouse gas emissions. The result of the study demonstrated that the mangroves in Letkhutkon village have high carbon storage potential, therefore it is necessary to be sustainably managed to maintain and increase carbon storage. Climate change mitigation may be achieved not only by reducing the carbon emission levels but also by maintaining the mangrove ecosystem services as carbon sinks and sequestration.