African tropical montane forests as carbon stores

The amount of carbon stored in African tropical montane forests remains poorly understood. This paper by Aida Cuni-Sanchez and colleagues presents data from a forest network spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. The authors find that the amount of aboveground live tree biomass carbon stock at network sites is comparable to that of lowland African forest plot networks and two thirds higher than IPCC default values for such forests in Africa. The findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.