ESTIMACIÓN DE LAS RESERVAS Y PÉRDIDAS DE CARBONO POR DEFORESTACIÓN EN LOS BOSQUES DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA/ESTIMATION OF CARBON STOCKS AND LOSS BY DEFORESTATION IN THE FORESTS OF ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA

Tropical forests store large amounts of carbon (CO2) in their biomass, thus playing a key role in the global cycle of this element. The carbon storage capability of tropical forests is largely determined by biophysical factors. However, in recent years tropical deforestation has converted this ecosystem into a source of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In this study, the goal was to evaluate the distribution of the above-ground biomass along a complex environmental gradient of natural forests in the Department of Antioquia (Colombia); as well as to assess the potential amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by deforestation between 2000 and 2007. The researchers used a structural information from 16 1-ha permanent plots where woody vegetation was sampled. Deforestation in the department was quantified using MODIS terra images obtained from 2000-2007. During this time, 176,950 ha of natural forest were lost, which means a total of 79,161.29 Gg CO2 were released into the atmosphere. In Antioquia, problems such as deforestation may result in a considerable destruction to this ecosystem, causing the loss of important ecosystem services, such as carbon storage.