Role of Urban Parks in Carbon Sequestration– A Case Study of Safari Park, Karachi, Pakistan

Amna Bano, Department of Environment and Energy Management, College of Business Management, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Sindh, PakistanFollow
Minzah Shehzad, Department of Environment and Energy Management, College of Business Management, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Sindh, PakistanFollow
Hasnain Kazmi, Department of Environment and Energy Management, College of Business Management, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Sindh, PakistanFollow
Jamshaid Iqbal, Department of Environment and Energy Management, College of Business Management, Institute of Business Management, Karachi, Sindh, PakistanFollow

Abstract

Urban parks besides their recreational use can be the potential source of climate mitigation through carbon sequestration. Present study aims to identify the carbon sequestration potential of Safari Park which is by far the largest public park of Karachi established in 1970 covering an area of 0.72 km². A total of 153 individual trees belonging to 25 species and 14 families were included in the study. Five dominant species with highest Important Value Index (IVI) were Cocos nucifera (14.62 %), Azadirachta indica (14.21 %), Guaiacum officinale (9.93 %), Washington robusta (9.31 %) and Delonix regia (7.11 %). The highest carbon content was sequestered by C. nucifera (9472 kg) followed by D. regia (7599 kg), W. robusta (3576 kg), A. indica (1861.5 kg) while, C. erectus sequestered the lowest carbon content (765.6 kg). Pearson coefficient of all 5 dominant species showed a significantly positive correlation (p < 0.05) between volume and diameter at breast height (DBH) at 0.80 - 0.93 cm, providing an assumption that trees with high DBH have a greater role in carbon sequestration. With a ratio of 17 native and 8 non-native species, the park can serve as an example of well-balanced and diverse ecosystem (Shanon and Simpson Indices of 2.8 and 0.92) focused on yielding maximum carbon content. Because of its large area with high DBH, Cocos nucifera accumulated the most carbon. The tree composition can be taken as a foundation for urban planners who are focused to integrate species diversity, richness and carbon offsetting requirements while setting up a public park in similar arid and semi-arid conditions.

Article History

Received: May 20, 2022; Accepted: Oct 05, 2023; Published: Dec 31 2023

Recommended Citation

Bano, A., Shehzad, M., Kazmi, H., & Iqbal, J. (2023). Role of Urban Parks in Carbon Sequestration– A Case Study of Safari Park, Karachi, Pakistan, Journal of Bioresource Management, 10 (4).

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