ARCP2008-19NMY-Zou
| Title |
Temperature Sensitivity of Soil CO2 Efflux as Altered by Rubber Tree Plantations in Southeast Asia |
| Research Theme |
Climate; Ecosystems, biodiversity and land use; Use of resources and pathways for sustainable development.; Cross-cutting issues and science-policy linkages
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| Countries Involved |
China, Viet Nam, Lao PDR |
| Project Leader |
Dr. Xiaoming Zou, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CHINA;
Email: xzou2000@yahoo.com |
| Summary of Project |
The rapid economic growth occurring in China and Southeast Asian countries has increased demands for rubber, an essential natural material for a variety of industries including vehicle manufacture. The rapid rise in rubber consumption results to expansion of rubber tree plantations in this region. Large areas of natural forest have been converted to rubber tree plantations and this conversion can have severe ecological consequences such as altered carbon cycling. A better understanding of ecosystem responses to tropical land-use changes is essential for developing appropriate land-use policies that will guide and regulate land-use planning to promote sustainable economic growth in the region. The project will address two main concerns: 1) determine how land-use conversion from tropical forests to rubber tree plantations alter the cycling of carbon in Southeast Asia; and 2) find out biotic factors regulate the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration to global warming in undisturbed tropical forests and rubber tree plantations. |
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