50
SSA. The highest amounts of C (>100 Mg C ha
−1
) occur in the soils of the
Afromontane forest ecosystems in the Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands, in addition
to the soils of Lesotho, Swaziland, Madagascar, and parts of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). SOC stocks in most of the west African countries vary
between 21 and 36 Mg C ha
−1
, while the stocks in Mozambique, Central Africa
Republic, and a large part of DRC range from 37 to 62 Mg C ha
−1
. Due to its vastness and abundance of deciduous and evergreen broadleaf forests, DRC holds the
highest amount of SOC stocks in SSA amounting to about 9.4 Pg, or 1.4% of the
global SOC stock. Though not exact, these estimates depict the fundamental role of
SOC pool in controlling CO 2 emissions and annual C budgets at the regional and
global scales.
Fig. 5 Land use and land cover in SSA. The map was generated using digital data of land cover
from FAO (www.fao.org). (Data source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
K. Were et al.
SSA. The highest amounts of C (>100 Mg C ha
−1
) occur in the soils of the
Afromontane forest ecosystems in the Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands, in addition
to the soils of Lesotho, Swaziland, Madagascar, and parts of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). SOC stocks in most of the west African countries vary
between 21 and 36 Mg C ha
−1
, while the stocks in Mozambique, Central Africa
Republic, and a large part of DRC range from 37 to 62 Mg C ha
−1
. Due to its vastness and abundance of deciduous and evergreen broadleaf forests, DRC holds the
highest amount of SOC stocks in SSA amounting to about 9.4 Pg, or 1.4% of the
global SOC stock. Though not exact, these estimates depict the fundamental role of
SOC pool in controlling CO 2 emissions and annual C budgets at the regional and
global scales.
Fig. 5 Land use and land cover in SSA. The map was generated using digital data of land cover
from FAO (www.fao.org). (Data source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
K. Were et al.