Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso
Abstract In the semi-arid areas of West Africa, agroforestry systems (AFS) play a crucial role in livelihood support and climate change mitigation. Yet, in Burkina Faso, these ecosystems are insufficiently accounted for in national efforts to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the scarcity...
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Springer
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00868-9 |
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| author | Charles Lamoussa Sanou Oblé Neya Sampson Kwaku Agodzo Enoch Bessah Philip Antwi-Agyei Larba Hubert Balima |
| author_facet | Charles Lamoussa Sanou Oblé Neya Sampson Kwaku Agodzo Enoch Bessah Philip Antwi-Agyei Larba Hubert Balima |
| author_sort | Charles Lamoussa Sanou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In the semi-arid areas of West Africa, agroforestry systems (AFS) play a crucial role in livelihood support and climate change mitigation. Yet, in Burkina Faso, these ecosystems are insufficiently accounted for in national efforts to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the scarcity of data about their carbon storage potential. This study aimed to assess woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in AFS across three climatic zones of Burkina Faso. Dendrometric measurements of 4733 individuals were carried out using a systematic sampling design in 180 farmlands sampled across the Sahel, Sudan-Sahel, and Sudan climatic zones of Burkina Faso, with 60 farmlands per climatic zone. Diversity indices were used to assess woody species diversity, dendrometric measurements were used to estimate aboveground carbon stocks of woody species using allometric equation. The findings showed a γ-diversity of 71 woody species belonging to 53 genera and 25 families across the three climatic zones. Species richness (S = 6.53), Shannon’s index and Simpson’s index (H = 1.26; D = 0.59) were highest in the Sudan-Sahel zone. However, the mean aboveground carbon stocks increased from the Sahel zone (2.3 to 3.4 Mg C ha−1) to the Sudan zone (6.1 to 8.1 Mg C ha−1). Carbon stock was positively correlated with stand density (0.56 < r < 0.61) and diversity (S, H, D) (0.3 < r < 0.41), highlighting the positive relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study highlights the co-benefits associated with policies maintaining stand diversity and carbon storage in AFS as a mean to increase the resilience of these systems to changing environmental conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bf9a366a7b5d449493f645d2c183d32c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-9984 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-bf9a366a7b5d449493f645d2c183d32c2025-08-20T03:04:59ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-04-016111710.1007/s43621-025-00868-9Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina FasoCharles Lamoussa Sanou0Oblé Neya1Sampson Kwaku Agodzo2Enoch Bessah3Philip Antwi-Agyei4Larba Hubert Balima5West African Science Service Centre On Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Competence Centre, PMBDépartement Environnement et Forêts (DEF), Institut de L’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA)Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMBDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMBDepartment of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMBLaboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales, Université Joseph Ki-ZerboAbstract In the semi-arid areas of West Africa, agroforestry systems (AFS) play a crucial role in livelihood support and climate change mitigation. Yet, in Burkina Faso, these ecosystems are insufficiently accounted for in national efforts to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the scarcity of data about their carbon storage potential. This study aimed to assess woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in AFS across three climatic zones of Burkina Faso. Dendrometric measurements of 4733 individuals were carried out using a systematic sampling design in 180 farmlands sampled across the Sahel, Sudan-Sahel, and Sudan climatic zones of Burkina Faso, with 60 farmlands per climatic zone. Diversity indices were used to assess woody species diversity, dendrometric measurements were used to estimate aboveground carbon stocks of woody species using allometric equation. The findings showed a γ-diversity of 71 woody species belonging to 53 genera and 25 families across the three climatic zones. Species richness (S = 6.53), Shannon’s index and Simpson’s index (H = 1.26; D = 0.59) were highest in the Sudan-Sahel zone. However, the mean aboveground carbon stocks increased from the Sahel zone (2.3 to 3.4 Mg C ha−1) to the Sudan zone (6.1 to 8.1 Mg C ha−1). Carbon stock was positively correlated with stand density (0.56 < r < 0.61) and diversity (S, H, D) (0.3 < r < 0.41), highlighting the positive relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study highlights the co-benefits associated with policies maintaining stand diversity and carbon storage in AFS as a mean to increase the resilience of these systems to changing environmental conditions.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00868-9AgroforestryWoody species diversityCarbon storageClimatic zonesWest Africa |
| spellingShingle | Charles Lamoussa Sanou Oblé Neya Sampson Kwaku Agodzo Enoch Bessah Philip Antwi-Agyei Larba Hubert Balima Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso Discover Sustainability Agroforestry Woody species diversity Carbon storage Climatic zones West Africa |
| title | Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso |
| title_full | Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso |
| title_fullStr | Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso |
| title_full_unstemmed | Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso |
| title_short | Woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in Burkina Faso |
| title_sort | woody species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in agroforestry systems in burkina faso |
| topic | Agroforestry Woody species diversity Carbon storage Climatic zones West Africa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00868-9 |
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