Land-Use Change and Carbon Flux Between 1970s and 1990s in Central Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico
Land-Use Change and Carbon Flux Between 1970s and 1990s in Central Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico
- Environmental Management, 23(3), p.373-385, 1999 .
We present results of a study in an intensively impacted and highly fragmented landscape in which we apply field-measured carbon (C)density values to land-use/ land-cover (LU/LC)statistics to estimate the flux of C between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere from the 1970s and 1990s. Carbon densities were assigned to common LU/LC classes on vegetation maps produced by Mexican governmental organizations and, by differencing areas and C pools, net C flux was calculated from the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, during a 16-year period. The total area of closed forests was reduced by half while degraded and fragmented forests expanded 56
LAND USE
LAND COVER
CARBON FLUX
FORESTS
CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS
MEXICO
We present results of a study in an intensively impacted and highly fragmented landscape in which we apply field-measured carbon (C)density values to land-use/ land-cover (LU/LC)statistics to estimate the flux of C between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere from the 1970s and 1990s. Carbon densities were assigned to common LU/LC classes on vegetation maps produced by Mexican governmental organizations and, by differencing areas and C pools, net C flux was calculated from the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, during a 16-year period. The total area of closed forests was reduced by half while degraded and fragmented forests expanded 56
LAND USE
LAND COVER
CARBON FLUX
FORESTS
CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS
MEXICO