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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SAgri/05
Quantification of biomass and soil carbon stocks in muzaffarabad city to analyse the
climate change mitigation potential of urban land use

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Hamayun Shaheen , Syeda Fatima Gillani , Raja Waqar Ahmed Khan
1,2,3 Department of Botany, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad 13100,
Pakistan
Correspondence: hamayun.shaheen@ajku.edu.pk

Abstract
Urban vegetation types provide significant ecosystem services as an important carbon
reservoir. The present study was focused to estimate of biomass carbon in different vegetation
layers and soil organic carbon (SOC) of seven urban microhabitats of Muzaffarabad City.
Quadrate based systematic sampling was carried out for the collection of the biomass data
whereas Walkely-Black titration method was applied for determining SOC. The study
presented an average Carbon stocks of 62.66 Mg/ha with the maximum value of 96.44 Mg/ha
recorded from urban Graveyards microhabitat, followed by Residential areas (78.87 Mg/ha),
Institutes (78.28 Mg/ha), Parks (61.73 Mg/ha), Rivulets (46.20 Mg/ha), Roadsides (42.58
Mg/ha) and Riversides (34.51 Mg/ha). Carbon Stock in the biomass was calculated as 15.71
Mg/ha. The average value of SOC was calculated as 46.94 Mg/ha with a maximum of 76.33
Mg/ha recorded from Graveyards. A total of 161 plant species were recorded from the urban
microhabitats. Multivariate ordination analysis identified the Parks and Institutes as major
carbon sinks of the urban land use whereas Nullahs and Riverside were separated as minor
non-significant carbon sinks. The finding of the study revealed poor management of different
urban microhabitats and reflect a need for conservation and sustainable management of
vegetation and soil to enhance carbon storage process. The current carbon sequestration
estimate of Urban Land use in Muzaffarabad provides significant scientific information about
the urban carbon stocks which is vital to determine the potential role of urban forest in reducing
atmospheric carbon and mitigation of climate change in the REDD+ context.

Keywords: Urban vegetation; Carbon sequestration; Urban microhabitats; Climate Change;
REDD+

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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