Contrasting the carbon pools of a mangrove and rainforest ecosystem in Cross River, Nigeria

Authors

  • Martin Ogheneriruona Ononyume Department of Plant and Ecological Studies, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State
  • Regina Ado Anoh Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
  • Vincent Ebu Tawo Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
  • Pius Agaji Oko Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
  • Alice Obugo Idiege Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
  • Esther Aja Bassey Edu Department of Plant and Ecological Studies, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Calabar, P.M.B. 1115, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.
  • Ini-Abasi Effiong Umanah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23269057

Keywords:

carbon storage, carbon sequestration, climate change, mangrove carbon, rainforest carbon

Abstract

Tropical forests, despite covering less than 10% of the Earth's land surface, provide critical ecosystem services, including biodiversity maintenance, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. The study estimated and compared carbon stocks in the mangrove forest of Great Kwa River, Calabar, and the rainforest of Cross River National Park (Oban West Division) in Nigeria, to understand their contributions to the global carbon budget and support climate change mitigation efforts. Field and laboratory investigations involved determining canopy closure, aboveground and below-ground biomass, and carbon stocks, dead and downed wood carbon stock, and total soil carbon and nitrogen. A two-sample Student’s t-test was used to compare the means of carbon stock estimates between the two forest types, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze data from different size classes of dead and downed wood. Results indicated that in the mangrove forest, total soil carbon accounted for the largest carbon stock density at 89.80%, followed by aboveground biomass (8.43%), belowground biomass (1.68%), and dead and downed wood biomass (0.08%). In the rainforest, aboveground biomass accounted for the most extensive carbon stock at 50.36%, followed by soil carbon (39.39%), belowground biomass (10.07%), and dead and downed wood (0.19%). The results show the importance of preserving and managing these ecosystems as vital carbon sinks. Protecting these areas from deforestation and degradation not only supports biodiversity but also plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate.

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2026-05-31

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Ononyume, M. O., Anoh, R. A., Tawo, V. E., Oko, P. A., Idiege, A. O., Edu, E. A. B., & Umanah, I.-A. E. (2026). Contrasting the carbon pools of a mangrove and rainforest ecosystem in Cross River, Nigeria. Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity, 10(3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23269057

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Vol. 10 No. 3 (2026): Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity

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