Almacenamiento de carbono y servicios ecosistémicos de la vegetación arbórea en el campus de la Universidad Nacional Agraria, Nicaragua

The ecosystem services provided by trees and shrubs in urban areas constitute a strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change. The objective of this research was to select the most appropriate allometric equations for estimating above-ground, below-ground, and palm biomass, taking into account edaphoclimatic conditions, the coefficient of determination, and tree diameters, as well as to estimate stored carbon, carbon dioxide sequestered, and oxygen released, and to determine the floristic richness and diversity that contribute to mitigating climate change and the provision of ecosystem services. The research was conducted on the campus of the Universidad Nacional Agraria, located in Managua. A 100% inventory of trees, shrubs, and palms with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of ≥ 5 cm was conducted; dasometric variables for normal diameter were measured, and total height was estimated across 30.3 hectares. The allometric models selected to estimate above-ground biomass were B = Exp (-2.187 + 0.916 * ln (ρw (D)² * H), Chave et al. (2005), Ln B = -2.290 + 0.932 ln (D² H ρw), Álvarez et al. (2011), and B = Exp (-1.53009 + 2.17632*ln (Dap)), Fonseca (2016). The allometric model for estimating underground or root biomass is the one proposed by Sierra (2011), Ln Br = -4.273 + 2.633 ln (D), and one for palm trees, B = 4.5 + 7.7 * H (Frangi and Lugo, 1985). The results show that there are no significant differences among the selected formulas for estimating biomass; the model proposed by Fonseca (2016) is recommended due to its simplicity. A total of 3 566.49 metric tons of biomass and 1 676.18 metric tons of stored carbon were estimated. As of 2023, the campus vegetation has sequestered 6 151.73 metric tons of carbon dioxide and released 4 429.28 metric tons of oxygen. In addition, 216 species belonging to 47 botanical families were identified. The vegetation on the Universidad Nacional Agraria campus represents an important carbon sink and a provider of key ecosystem services; its preservation is essential, and its environmental value should be equated with that of tropical forests.