The consequences of converting primary forests to agriculture and pasture on soil carbon (C) and nutrient stocks are important. The Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences evaluated soil C and nutrient concentrations and stocks among intact, fragmented, and shifting cultivation sites in the Sitapahar forest of Bangladesh. Results show that during shifting cultivation as compared to intact sites, soil C stock was 50% lower whereas soil P stock was 26% greater. When compared to the other two sites, the soil N and K stocks under the shifting cultivation site were 57% and 27% greater, respectively. In all sites, soil C stock was positively correlated with N stock, but negatively correlated with the P stock. Tree species diversity was positively correlated with K stock, but negatively correlated with N stock in the shifting cultivation site. Sustainable management of the sites should focus on the understanding of soil-plant interactions and the protection of soil C, nutrients, and species diversity.

Read the whole article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2023.100756