Carbon sequestration estimates for forestry options under different land-use scenarios in india

Land resources have been under tremendous pressure since the very beginning of civilization for food and forest products. For better land-use management, these resources must be used sustainably and in accordance with thedemands of the masses. To manage the land resources effectively and for future food security we need to find out the demands and potential of our land. In this study, a comparative estimate of land-use and carbon sequestration potential of different forestry options has been done for India. This has been done using the Land Use and Carbon Sequestration (LUCS) model. This model systematically incorporates Indian agricultural and forest statistics with geographical and demographic data. Besides this, various pressures exerted on land-use system due to the existing growth rates of population, fuelwood requirements, export of agricultural commodities and probable transfer of lands from one category to the other, are also considered here. Three scenarios (LUCS-I, LUCS-II and LUCS-III) are generated with different land-use options following the demands and present land-use pattern prevailing in the country. The scenario LUCS-I puts maximum amount of land into the forestry sector and is an economically feasible scenario. The scenario LUCS-II is a 'business as usual' scenario, as it is projected according to the current five-year plan. The scenario LUCS-III puts maximum amount of land in the plantations category and is a potential scenario. These scenarios were generated for a time period of fifty years starting from the year 2000. The LUCS model estimates the amount of carbon sequestered by approximating land-use and relative biomass changes in the landscape over time. The amount of carbon sequestered in scenario LUCS-III is estimated to be 6.937 billion tonnes, which is the highest among those sequestered in all the three scenarios. According to this scenario, the carbon sequestered in aboveground vegetation of India will be more than double by the year 2050.