Potential of Soil Carbon Sequestration in the Amazonian Tropical Rainforests

Land-use change usually causes a modification in land cover and an associated change in carbon stocks (Bolin and Sukumar, 2000). The change from one ecosystem to another could occur naturally or be the result of human activity. The latest process has occurred in the tropical rain forest, which is a diverse and complex system that occupies approximately 10 percent of the world’s area and comprises about 40 to 50 percent of the earth’s species (Meyers, 1981).