Soil Organic Carbon Pool under Different Land Uses in Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve of Chhattisgarh, India

Global climate change caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) is recognized as a serious environmental issue of the 21st century. The role of land-use systems in stabilizing CO₂ levels and increasing carbon (C) sink potential of the soils has attracted considerable scientific attention in the recent past. Type of land-use system is an important factor controlling soil organic matter (SOM), since it affects the amount and quality of litter input, litter decomposition rates and processes of organic matter stabilization in the soils. SOM which contains more reactive soil organic carbon (SOC) than any other single terrestrial pool, plays a major role in determining C storage in ecosystems and moderating atmospheric concentrations of CO₂.