Due to their carbon dense nature, overall high productivity and significant spatial extent tropical humid forests together have a large impact on the global terrestrial carbon cycle. However, carbon dynamics of humid African tropical forest are very poorly assessed due to scarce (long term) measurements. Therefore, large uncertainties remain on both the quantity as well as the dynamics of above and below ground (including soil) carbon stocks and fluxes and their responses to global change.

Acknowledging this need for an increased understanding of tropical African forest dynamics an ever increasing number of permanent plots is being established. Together with field based efforts model and remote sensing studies quantifying amongst others above ground standing biomass have increased. Yet process based studies as well as links with functional diversity in this important ecosystem are lacking.

In this session we want to bring together experts in both field based as model based carbon stock and flux assessments to provide a comprehensive overview of current carbon stocks as well as future responses to a changing climate and socio-economic factors leading to land use / land cover change in humid tropical African forests.

As such we invite abstracts on current day research in humid tropical african forests covering:
modelled and measured above and below ground carbon stocks and fluxes
modelled and measured climate sensitivity of carbon dynamics
assessment of land use / land cover change – including deforestation / reforestation / aforestation

Invited speakers:
- Simon L. Lewis (University of Leeds, UK)
- Frédéric Mortier (CIRAD, France)