REGULATION AND MAINTENANCE SERVICE OF CARBON IN ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS IN A BRAZILIAN SEMI-ARID MANGROVE

This research aimed to identify the ecosystem service of regulation and maintenance of carbon in aboveground biomass in a Brazilian semi-arid mangrove (Piranhas-Acu/RN). Regarding the methodological procedures, three essential points were followed: 1) Vectorization of mangrove vegetation; 2) Estimation of Aboveground Biomass (AGB) and Carbon Stock (EC); and 3) Identification and spatialization of the relevance of the carbon regulation ecosystem service. The carbon capture ecosystem service was identified according to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). Concerning the AGB, EC and CO2 estimates, these corresponded to values of 31.8 Mg/ha(-1), 15.1 Mg/ha(-1) and 55.4 Mg/ha(-1), respectively, resulting in a total of 42.8 Gg of C stored in the local mangrove AGB. By using the relevance matrix, it was possible to spatialize this service and observe that 37% of the canopies have a low capacity to provide this service, while between the classes of relevant capacity and very high capacity, the percentage represented 63% of the total, raising a positive contribution of this environment in the capture of CO2.