Carbon stock inventory of mangroves, Pongara National Park, Gabon

Mangroves in Pongara National Park, Gabon, West Africa were inventoried and soils sampled using a stratified random sampling design to provide a basis for estimating ecosystem carbon stocks. Mangrove canopy height, derived from remote sensing data, was used as the basis for stratification, and a spatial decision support system was used to objectively allocate the inventory plots. The inventory was designed to provide estimates of above-ground and below-ground carbon stocks for the Park using the remote sensing data as the basis. Seventeen plots, representing the range in stand conditions, were inventoried 9-24 February, 2017. Measurements include mangrove species, total tree height, and diameter at breast height for overstory, understory and dead trees. Soil samples were collected to estimate the carbon and nitrogen content to 2 meters below the surface. Data on individual trees and soil samples within plots is provided.
Mangroves are recognized for their numerous ecosystem services and functions that are critical to environmental health and human wellbeing in the regions where they occur and beyond. Although mangroves comprise only 0.7% of the world’s tropical forests, they have been shown to contain globally-significant carbon pools, storing up to five times more carbon than typical upland tropical forests per area. This work was conducted to (a) demonstrate the utility of utilizing remote sensing data to provide the basis for an objective inventory of mangrove carbon stocks, and (b) to provide a basis for validating estimates of mangrove biomass derived from remote sensing based tools.
These data were published on 07/07/2020. On 06/26/2023 the metadata was updated to include information about a related article. For additional information about these data, see Trettin et al. (2021).