Changing carbon sequestration potentials based on different land uses; A review

The organic carbon in soil is correlated with soil quality and important for evaluating management practices and related structural and functional consequences in land uses. Carbon input to different ecosystems varies with plant type, soil fertility, management practice, and climatic condition. This review evaluates carbon sequestration potentials in various land uses, land use change effects on carbon sequestration and ways to increase the carbon sequestration in these land uses. According to various studies, the protected forest ecosystems and cereal croplands had respectively the highest and lowest carbon sequestration rates compared to other ecosystems. In most of the reviewed cases, land use change reduces vegetation cover and prevents the maintenance of the organic matter in the soil. Heavy soil destruction is based on the alteration of natural ecosystems into agroecosystems and urban land uses. In contrast, forests supply 20 to 100 times more carbon than croplands. Soil organic carbon content in agricultural lands is approximately 15 to 30% lower than natural soils. Finally, it could be concluded that management practices and policy could strongly influence the carbon sequestration process. On the other hand, in all land uses, carbon sequestration potential can be increased by appropriate management activities. Thus, more attention to carbon sequestration for sustainability development and reasonable management is essential in landscape planning and policy support actions.