ABSTRACT
A principal reason for considering Latin America as an important region in soil/terrestrial C sequestration in any future scenarios for mitigating climate change is the fact that it encompasses 60 percent of the world’s tropical rain forest (TRF). The conversion of TRF to agricultural or urban ecosystems will exacerbate the rates of CO2 emissions and pose a large environmental challenge to future generations because of the projected climate change. A close examination of the global C pools shows that the key manageable pool is the terrestrial, comprising both soil and vegetation components. Therefore, it is important to identify ways and means by which atmospheric CO2 can be incorporated into soil and biotic pools.
