Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Different Land Uses in Tropical Andean Ecosystems and the Socio-Ecological Environment

This study examines the relationship between land use and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in tropical Andean ecosystems. Its novelty lies in applying a socio-ecological approach to show how community conservation perception influences SOC storage, contributing to climate change mitigation strategies. Background and Objectives: Land use change reduces carbon stocks in tropical ecosystems. This study focuses on the Las Piedras River basin (Popayan, Colombia), evaluating SOC storage under different plant covers: riparian forests (RF), ecological restoration (ER), natural regeneration (NR), and livestock pastures (LS), and its relationship with local conservation perception. Materials and Methods: SOC storage at 30 cm depth, carbon inputs and outputs, and soil physicochemical properties were measured across land uses. Sixty-five community surveys assessed conservation perceptions. Analyses included ANOVA, principal component analysis, and multinomial logistic regression. Results: SOC was significantly higher in RF (148.68 Mg ha⁻¹), followed by ER and LS, and lower in NR (97.30 Mg ha⁻¹). A positive relationship was found between high conservation perception and greater SOC content. Conclusions: SOC storage is strongly influenced by land use and community conservation values. Active restoration and environmental education strategies are crucial to strengthening the socio-ecological resilience of these ecosystems