The effect of reforestation on carbon sequestration has been extensively studied but there is less understanding of the changes that stand age and vegetation types have on changes in biomass carbon and soil organic ca...The effect of reforestation on carbon sequestration has been extensively studied but there is less understanding of the changes that stand age and vegetation types have on changes in biomass carbon and soil organic carbon(SOC)after reforestation.In this study,150 reforested plots were sampled across six provinces and one municipality in the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)during 2017 and 2018 to estimate carbon storage in biomass and soil.The results illustrate that site-averaged SOC was greater than site-averaged biomass carbon.There was more carbon sequestered in the biomass than in the soil.Biomass carbon accumulated rapidly in the initial 20 years after planting.In contrast,SOC sequestration increased rapidly after 20 years.In addition,evergreen species had higher carbon density in both biomass and soil than deciduous species and economic species(fruit trees).Carbon sequestration in evergreen and deciduous species is greater than in economic species.Our findings provide new evidence on the divergent responses of biomass and soil to carbon sequestration after reforestation with respect to stand ages and vegetation types.This study provides relevant information for ecosystem management as well as for carbon sequestration and global climate change policies.展开更多
This paper addresses the question of whether the Hong Kong government made a rational economic decision when it decided to set aside land to develop a Wetland Park,or whether it should have used the land for alternati...This paper addresses the question of whether the Hong Kong government made a rational economic decision when it decided to set aside land to develop a Wetland Park,or whether it should have used the land for alternative commercial developments.Different analytical methods are used to estimate the economic value of the environmental benefi ts of the Wetland Park:the Value Transfer Method is used to estimate the economic value of the ecological services provided by the Park,the Direct Market Price analysis for the economic value of the goods purchased in the Wetland Park,the Hedonic Housing Price Analysis for the value of the Park to those residing in its proximity,the Travel Cost and Contingent Valuation Method for the value of the Park to the visitors,and the Contingent Valuation for the Passive(Nonuse) Values of the Park.These benef its are compared to the opportunity cost of the land and the cost of running the Wetland Park.The article concludes that if a rate of 5% or less is used to discount future costs and benef its,we would f ind that the government's decision to set aside land for a Wetland Park was economically sound,while using a discount rate of 6% or more shows that it was not.展开更多
The Country Parks of Hong Kong occupy 40%of the total landmass of Hong Kong,and consists of vast areas of secondary woodlands,scrublands,grasslands,and reservoirs.That vegetation-and the soil underneathsubtract carbon...The Country Parks of Hong Kong occupy 40%of the total landmass of Hong Kong,and consists of vast areas of secondary woodlands,scrublands,grasslands,and reservoirs.That vegetation-and the soil underneathsubtract carbon from the atmosphere,which has a market value.The aim of this paper is to estimate the value of that carbon,to assess whether that value would be sufficient to pay for the upkeep of the Country Parks,and to compare that value to the costs of alternative ways to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.To do this,we compare the land cover of 1978,1991,1997 and 2004 using remote sensing,and identify the three predominant land covers(woodlands,scrublands,grasslands) .We then estimate the amount and value of the carbon sequestered by the vegetation and soil of the Country Parks,and compare it to the budget available to the Agriculture,Fisheries and Conservation Department to run the Country Parks(HK$234 million in 2009/2010) .We extrapolate our results over 50 years,from 1978 to 2028.We conclude that by 2028 the carbon sequestered would be valued over HK$800 million,but the value of the additional carbon subtracted yearly would only cover approximately 7%of the total budget needed to run the Country Parks.We also conclude that because of the large budget allocated to the Country Parks,alternative methods of carbon sequestration-represented by the EU ETS price of carbon-are much cheaper.展开更多
基金The work was supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China[grant number 12305116].
文摘The effect of reforestation on carbon sequestration has been extensively studied but there is less understanding of the changes that stand age and vegetation types have on changes in biomass carbon and soil organic carbon(SOC)after reforestation.In this study,150 reforested plots were sampled across six provinces and one municipality in the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)during 2017 and 2018 to estimate carbon storage in biomass and soil.The results illustrate that site-averaged SOC was greater than site-averaged biomass carbon.There was more carbon sequestered in the biomass than in the soil.Biomass carbon accumulated rapidly in the initial 20 years after planting.In contrast,SOC sequestration increased rapidly after 20 years.In addition,evergreen species had higher carbon density in both biomass and soil than deciduous species and economic species(fruit trees).Carbon sequestration in evergreen and deciduous species is greater than in economic species.Our findings provide new evidence on the divergent responses of biomass and soil to carbon sequestration after reforestation with respect to stand ages and vegetation types.This study provides relevant information for ecosystem management as well as for carbon sequestration and global climate change policies.
文摘This paper addresses the question of whether the Hong Kong government made a rational economic decision when it decided to set aside land to develop a Wetland Park,or whether it should have used the land for alternative commercial developments.Different analytical methods are used to estimate the economic value of the environmental benefi ts of the Wetland Park:the Value Transfer Method is used to estimate the economic value of the ecological services provided by the Park,the Direct Market Price analysis for the economic value of the goods purchased in the Wetland Park,the Hedonic Housing Price Analysis for the value of the Park to those residing in its proximity,the Travel Cost and Contingent Valuation Method for the value of the Park to the visitors,and the Contingent Valuation for the Passive(Nonuse) Values of the Park.These benef its are compared to the opportunity cost of the land and the cost of running the Wetland Park.The article concludes that if a rate of 5% or less is used to discount future costs and benef its,we would f ind that the government's decision to set aside land for a Wetland Park was economically sound,while using a discount rate of 6% or more shows that it was not.
文摘The Country Parks of Hong Kong occupy 40%of the total landmass of Hong Kong,and consists of vast areas of secondary woodlands,scrublands,grasslands,and reservoirs.That vegetation-and the soil underneathsubtract carbon from the atmosphere,which has a market value.The aim of this paper is to estimate the value of that carbon,to assess whether that value would be sufficient to pay for the upkeep of the Country Parks,and to compare that value to the costs of alternative ways to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.To do this,we compare the land cover of 1978,1991,1997 and 2004 using remote sensing,and identify the three predominant land covers(woodlands,scrublands,grasslands) .We then estimate the amount and value of the carbon sequestered by the vegetation and soil of the Country Parks,and compare it to the budget available to the Agriculture,Fisheries and Conservation Department to run the Country Parks(HK$234 million in 2009/2010) .We extrapolate our results over 50 years,from 1978 to 2028.We conclude that by 2028 the carbon sequestered would be valued over HK$800 million,but the value of the additional carbon subtracted yearly would only cover approximately 7%of the total budget needed to run the Country Parks.We also conclude that because of the large budget allocated to the Country Parks,alternative methods of carbon sequestration-represented by the EU ETS price of carbon-are much cheaper.
