How much carbon is stored in the terrestrial ecosystems of the Chilean Patagonia?

Abstract

We estimated the amount of carbon (C) stored in terrestrial ecosystems of theChilean Patagonia and the proportion within protected areas. We used existingpublic databases that provide information on C stocks in biomass and soils. Datawere analysed by ecosystem and forest type in the case of native forests. Ourresults show that some ecosystems have been more extensively studied both fortheir stocks in biomass and soils (e.g. forests) compared with others (e.g. shrub-lands). Forests and peatlands store the largest amount of C because of theirlarge stocks per hectare and the large area they cover. The total amount of Cstored per unit area varies from 261.7 to 432.8 Mg C ha −1, depending on the pub-lished value used for soil organic C stocks in peatlands, highlighting the need tohave more precise estimates of the C stored in this and other ecosystems. Themean stock in national parks (508 Mg C ha −1) is almost twice the amount storedin undisturbed forests in the Amazon. State and private protected areas contain58.9% and 2.1% of the C stock, respectively, playing a key role in protectingecosystems in this once pristine area.