Carbon sequestration potential of post-mining reforestation activities on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa

Restoration of former mined land can potentially capture large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide if appropriate reclamation techniques and post-reclamation management strategies are applied. The objectives of the current study were: to quantify carbon stocks in five pools; to develop empirical relationships between stand age and carbon stocks; to compare the carbon sequestration potential of rehabilitated land under different land uses and to recommend management practices to maximize carbon sequestration. The carbon stocks in five pools (aboveground, belowground, litter, debris and soil), of the rehabilitated vegetation were quantified. For this purpose, 18 sites were selected including both commercial plantations and rehabilitated indigenous forests. The relationship between total, aboveground and belowground carbon stocks in the Casuarina equisetifolia plantation and stand age was sigmoidal, whereas the relationship was linear for the rehabilitating indigenous forest. The rehabilitated indigenous forest exceeded the mean net carbon storage of C. equisetifolia plantations after �19 years. Maximum carbon accumulation in the rehabilitated indigenous forest compared well with values reported for reclaimed ecosystems in the USA and Europe. Carbon sequestration potential of the mined land could be optimized and natural capital restored through reforestation of harvested C. equisetifolia plantations with indigenous forest.