FORESTRY EFFECT ON DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON IN WATERS OF PEATLANDS OF DEOSEI NATIONAL PARK, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Peatlands are recognized for their ecological significance and vital role in global carbon sequestration and are facing threats worldwide. This research links plantation forestry to water color due to dissolved organic carbon in the waters of the peatlands of Deosai National Park, District Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, in the context of water quality and its sustainable conservation. The research question of the study is, do plantation forests enhance dissolved organic carbon concentration? Monitoring of the amounts of dissolved organic carbon in seepage water taken from peatlands and forests in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Deosai National Park provides an answer to this question. The results depict a lower concentration level of dissolved organic carbon in forest samples as compared to peatland samples from Deosai National Park waters. Because the litter in mature forest crops is more consolidated, less dissolved organic carbon leaches. Further studies that focus on a more detailed sampling regime for data collection are required.