Soil organic carbon according to land cover type: Contributions for the sustainable management of the semi-arid Chaco of Salta (Argentina)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.26.36.3.0.2680Keywords:
land degradation neutrality, digital soil mapping, Chaco ecoregion, native forestsAbstract
1. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key indicator of soil quality and productivity, strongly influenced by vegetation structure and composition. Having spatially detailed information on SOC stocks is essential for improving land management and guiding conservation and restoration strategies. This study aimed to characterize and quantify the distribution and storage of soil carbon down to 30 cm depth according to the different land cover types in a representative area of the semi-arid Chaco region of Salta province.
2. The digital soil mapping approach was used with the random forest algorithm. Soil samples from 128 sites were analyzed between 2014 and 2024, covering the different land cover and land use classes of the study area, and nine covariates were used to predict SOC storage.
3. The average SOC stock down to 30 cm depth was estimated at 42.67±9.47 Mg/ha, with values ranging from 19.10 to 67.06 Mg/ha. Forests exhibited the highest SOC storage values , particularly riparian forest (47.95±10.58 Mg/ha), compared to closed shrubland (37.74±8.14 Mg/ha), open shrubland (29.86±8.46 Mg/ha) and cultivated land (37.63±7.57 Mg/ha). Although cultivated land showed lower SOC concentrations (%) compared to closed shrubland, both land cover types showed similar SOC storage values (Mg/ha).
4. Implications. The results demonstrate that forest conservation is strategic for maintaining regional soil carbon stocks and associated ecosystem services. The reduction in soil carbon storage in crops underscores the need to promote management practices that minimize carbon losses and encourage its recovery. This work provides input for land-use planning, the assessment of land-use change scenarios and the design of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, contributing to more sustainable soil management in the semi-arid Chaco region.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gisela Córdoba, Juan Gaitán, Aranzazu Guevara, Humberto Caruso, Silvana Castrillo, Leonidas Lizárraga, Matías Jerez, Cristina Camardelli
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