Caracterización del Suelo del Páramo en Relación al Carbono Orgánico Total Almacenado en la Comunidad Huacona San Isidro, Cantón Colta, Provincia de Chimborazo.

Abstract

The objective of the research is to characterize the soil of the páramo in relation to the total organic carbon stored in the Huacona San Isidro community of the Colta Canton, Chimborazo Province, research developed as part of the REDD-PÁRAMO project carried out by the MARCO Foundation. . with the support of the Embassy of Finland. A basic diagnosis of the historical and current uses of the soil was carried out, in addition to a comparative analysis of the amount of total organic carbon stored in the soils under use: agricultural, forest plantation and grassland; through interviews with the inhabitants, measurement routes and site selection, field sampling using zigzag routes and pits and subsequent laboratory analysis of samples, a study that was carried out by dividing the community into two altitudinal floors from 3200 to 3600m. asl and from 3600 to 4200 m.a.s.l. taking into account three current land uses: grassland, agricultural and forest plantation and applying a Random Complete Block Experimental Design (BCA) of three factors (altitudinal floors, land uses and soil depth) and three repetitions, together with a Tukey test at 5%. From the study carried out, it was determined that the amounts of total organic carbon stored are very high: 1833.7 t C org./ha (averaged in the use of grassland soil between both altitudinal floors), being comparable with the largest reserves found in the country's moors according to current investigations: 1700 t C org./ha in the Páramos del Ángel in Carchi-Ecuador (HOFSTEDE, R., 2004). That the influence of Pinus Radiata forest plantations on grasslands has a negative effect in terms of carbon retention: 1503.45 t C org./ha (averaged between both altitude levels). And that the influence of agriculture has different effects on the total organic carbon content depending on the time it has been implemented, finding an average of 1889 t C org./ha between both altitudinal floors. It is concluded that the amounts of total organic carbon stored are high in the three land uses studied, which represents an opportunity for the community to access the payment markets for carbon retention, thus reducing the negative environmental impact that currently the human beings and their activities cause in this ecosystem. It is recommended that the studies to obtain basic information be replicated in the paramo ecosystems of the country because they have the largest amounts of total organic carbon stored and, at the same time, because they provide various environmental services that directly or indirectly benefit a large part of the population. Ecuadorian, information that would serve to improve the management of this ecosystem, thus contributing to sustainable development.