Carbon stock in urban landscapes: insights from Delhi’s green spaces
摘要
Urbanization and greenhouse gas emissions have worsened the challenges of climate change, especially in densely populated semi-arid areas. Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) are essential in reducing these impacts, as they contain significant biomass and soil carbon stocks. This study aimed to enhance understanding of the role of UGSs in carbon storage by measuring the above-ground carbon stock (AGC) and below-ground carbon stock (BGC) in terms of soil organic carbon (SOC), litter carbon (LC), and understorey carbon (UC) across three selected UGSs in Delhi: a Delhi Development Authority Park (DDA park, DP), a biodiversity park (BP), and a city forest (CF), representing UGSs in Delhi. The research was carried out over two years (2022–2024). The average Above Ground Biomass (AGB) was 84.42 ± 5.92 Mg ha−1, and the mean Below Ground Biomass (BGB) was 22.79 ± 9.86 Mg ha−1. Similarly, the mean Above Ground Carbon (AGC) was 40.10 ± 17.36 Mg C ha−1, with the mean BGC at 10.83 ± 4.68 Mg C ha−1. Total biomass and carbon stock across all transects were 4074.34 Mg ha−1 and 1935.31 Mg C ha−1, respectively. The average Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) was 3.98 ± 1.60 Mg C ha−1 across all three UGSs during the study period. The overall ecosystem carbon stock averaged 63.93 ± 23.09 Mg C ha−1, ranging from 34.25 Mg C ha−1 at CF in 2022 to 83.59 Mg C ha−1 at BP in 2023. The total ecosystem carbon stock was 190.90 Mg C ha−1 in 2022, rising to 192.71 Mg C ha−1 in 2023, a 0.94% increase. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that structural parameters like basal area and growing stock volume density primarily influenced biomass. Meanwhile, diversity indices such as H’ and ENS significantly contributed to ecosystem diversity, complexity, and productivity. Ecologically managed UGSs amass higher carbon stocks compared to other management approaches.