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Abstract:
We present a synthesis of the land-atmosphere carbon flux from land use and land cover change (LULCC)
in Asia usingmultiple data sources and paying particular attention to deforestation and forest regrowth
fluxes. The data sources are quasi-independent and include the U.N. Food andAgriculture Organization-
Forest Resource Assessment (FAO-FRA2015; country-level inventory estimates), the Emission Database
forGlobalAtmospheric Research (EDGARv4.3), the ‘Houghton’ bookkeepingmodel that incorporates
FAO-FRA data, an ensemble of 8 state-of-the-artDynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVM), and2
recently published independent studies using primarily remote sensing techniques.The estimates are
aggregated spatially to Southeast, East, and SouthAsia and temporally for three decades, 1980–1989,
1990–1999 and 2000–2009. Since 1980, net carbon emissions from LULCCin Asia were responsible for
20%–40%of global LULCCemissions, with emissions from Southeast Asia alone accounting for15%–
25%of global LULCCemissions during the same period. In the 2000s and for allAsia, three estimates
(FAO-FRA,DGVM,Houghton) were in agreement of a net source of carbon to the atmosphere,with
meanestimates rangingbetween0.24 to0.41PgCyr−1,whereasEDGARv4.3 suggested a net carbon sink
of−0.17 Pg C yr−1. Three of 4 estimates suggest that LULCCcarbon emissions declined by at least34%in
the preceding decade (1990–2000). Spread in the estimates is due to the inclusion of different flux
components and their treatments, showing the importance to includeemissions fromcarbon rich
peatlands and land management, such as shifting cultivation andwood harvesting, which appear to be consistently underreported.
