Tropical forests are vital components of the global carbon cycle, sequestering and storing substantial carbon in biomass and soils while providing critical ecosystem services and supporting biodiversity. In Ethiopia, tropical and Afromontane forests exhibit considerable variation in structural attributes, species composition, and carbon storage, yet comprehensive syntheses linking forest structure to carbon dynamics are limited. This critical review synthesizes current evidence on Ethiopian tropical forests to evaluate how forest structural characteristics and management practices influence carbon stocks. The findings reveal that structural attributes such as basal area, diameter class distribution, tree height, and species diversity are strongly associated with aboveground and total carbon stocks. Moist Afromontane forests with high structural complexity and large-diameter trees store substantially more carbon than dry Afromontane or degraded forests. Participatory forest management (PFM) enhances structural complexity, species richness, and biomass carbon stocks compared with unmanaged forests, demonstrating the synergistic benefits of community-based management for carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Degradation and unsustainable land-use practices, however, reduce large-tree abundance, basal area, and soil carbon, highlighting long-term consequences for ecosystem resilience. The review underscores that maintaining and restoring forest structural complexity is central to sustainable forest management and climate mitigation in Ethiopian tropical ecosystems. Future research should focus on standardized measurement protocols, long-term monitoring, and landscape-scale analyses to improve carbon accounting and inform policy.
Yishak Adgo Kassie (Thu,) studied this question.