Geospatial analysis of amount of biomass loss and carbon released to the atmosphere as a result of habitat conversion of Ruaha – Rungwa Ecosystem, Tanzania

Abstract

Managing unfenced protected areas (PAs) to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services presents challenges in the face of climate change and habitat disturbance. This often forces wildlife to seek adaptation in other PAs or unprotected areas. Consequently, there is a need to include these adapted areas in the PA network. While PAs include national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, and wildlife management areas (WMAs), unprotected areas (unPAs) comprise wildlife corridors and dispersal areas that connect multiple PAs. However, residents residing near or within unPAs, particularly in developing countries, unsustainably exploit flora and fauna resources for their livelihoods. This paper focuses on the lesser-known aspect of biomass loss and carbon emissions resulting from habitat conversion in the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem (RRE) in Tanzania. The study estimates the annual biomass loss, carbon emissions, and conservation profit resulting from habitat conversion between 1990 and 2020. Spatial and temporal changes in land use and land cover data were analyzed to derive the desired results. The results indicate an average annual biomass loss of 0.97 million tons (above ground + below ground + deadwood) during the period of 1990-2020. Additionally, there were average annual carbon emissions of 0.46 million tons (above ground + below ground + deadwood), equivalent to a potential carbon sell revenue of US$1.84 million per year. The conservation profit from the area has the potential to counterbalance the detrimental activities of adjacent PA dwellers, provided carbon sell strategies are adopted. Looking ahead, it is necessary to incorporate adjacent PA areas into core PAs to safeguard wildlife adaptation to climate change. However, the government must incur the associated costs to protect these adaptation scenarios within core PAs. Understanding the biomass loss and carbon emissions resulting from habitat conversion in the RRE is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies and promoting sustainable management of PAs in Tanzania