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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Comprehensive Assessment of the Impacts
of Expressway Construction on Forest Carbon
Sink–Source Dynamics in Karst Regions
1
Guangxi Communications Design Group Co. Ltd, Nanning, 530029, China
2
Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS/ Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, MNR&Guangxi /
International Research Centre on Karst, UNESCO, Guilin, 541004, China
3
Pingguo Guangxi, Karst Ecosystem, National Observation and Research Station, Pingguo, 531406, China
4
Yulin Normal University, Yulin, 537000, China
Submission date: 2025-10-16
Final revision date: 2026-02-02
Acceptance date: 2026-03-15
Online publication date: 2026-07-02
Corresponding author
Feng Huang
Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS/ Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, MNR&Guangxi / International Research Centre on Karst, UNESCO, Guilin, 541004, China
Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS/ Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, MNR&Guangxi / International Research Centre on Karst, UNESCO, Guilin, 541004, China
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study assessed the impacts of expressway construction on the carbon sink function
of forest ecosystems in the karst region along the Du’an-Bama expressway in Guangxi, China.
Field investigations, soil physicochemical measurements, biomass and carbon stock estimations, soil
CO₂ flux monitoring, and greening project data analysis were conducted to characterize the carbon
sink performance of different vegetation types and the changes induced by expressway construction.
Results showed significant variations in biomass and carbon stock among vegetation types,
with forests exhibiting the highest carbon sequestration capacity, followed by shrublands and grasslands.
Soil physicochemical properties under different vegetation types also played an important role
in determining carbon stock potential. The expressway project permanently occupied 217.22 hm²
of land, leading to a biomass loss of 10207.21 t and a carbon stock reduction of 4601.89 tC.
The implemented greening measures compensated for 993.30 t of biomass and 441.90 tC of carbon,
corresponding to recovery rates of 9.73% and 9.60%, respectively. When considering the annual
sequestration capacity of restored vegetation together with the reduction in soil CO₂ emissions
beneath paved surfaces, the system exhibited an annual net carbon gain of 1629.65 tC, suggesting that
the losses caused by permanent land occupation could be offset within approximately 2.6 years under
the accounting framework of this study.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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