Evaluating the effect of restoration and horse trampling on Carbon Dynamics in a high-elevation páramo peatland in the Northern Andes of Ecuador
J. CRUZ, R. JARAMILLO, L. DOSKOCIL, S. CHIMBOLEMA, E. LILLESKOV, E. SUÁREZ
Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales COCIBA, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Calle Diego de Robles s/n y Pampite, Campus Cumbayá, Quito, Ecuador.
Andean high mountain peatlands have been drained and used for grazing for at least 200 years, releasing large amounts of Carbon into the atmosphere. Restoring these peatlands and assessing how carbon dynamics are affected by human activity is a crucial step to increase the land’s carbon sink and contribute to achieving net zero goals. The purpose of this study is to characterize the carbon dynamics of a restored peatland and assess how trampling by horses affects this process. Using a comparative approach, a field experiment was executed to compare carbon fluxes between a restored and a drained peatland. Additionally, 9 experimental blocks were designed to manipulate the horse trampling intensity. In the restored peatland the net carbon ecosystem exchange (NEE) reaches -0.64 g·m- 2 ·hour-1 whereas in the drained peatland it is -0.57 g·m-2·hour-1. Based on the trampling intensity experiment, we determined that the loss of carbon sequestration capacity, even at low trampling intensities, is driven by the reduction in plant productivity, which turned the trampled plots from carbon sinks to carbon sources at rates that reached NEE is 0.28 g·m-2·hour-1. Our findings represent strong evidence in favor of prioritizing adequate management for the Andean high mountain peatlands.