Peatland ecosystems in Kyrgyzstan: Distribution, peat characteristics and a preliminary assessment of carbon storage

• Peatland sites are mainly concentrated in Northern and Central Kyrgyzstan, large peatland sites are rare.
• Soviet topographic maps can serve as a rough estimator of current occurrence of peatlands in Kyrgyzstan.
• Peatland sites show specific characteristics regarding vegetation and peat thickness in different elevation classes.
• Most peat samples showed neutral to alkaline pH, trophic level was mainly eutrophic.
• Degradation processes caused by use as pastures can be observed at most peatland sites.

The peatland ecosystems of Central Asia have received little attention from scientific research to date. In the continental, predominantly semi-arid to arid climate of Kyrgyzstan they represent rare biotopes that are crucial for maintaining special ecosystem functions within the vulnerable mountain areas. In this study, we present an assessment of the distribution and total area of peatlands in Kyrgyzstan derived from Soviet topographic maps. About 64,500 ha of peatlands were detected after digitizing special wetland signatures from maps at a scale of 1:100,000. The relevance of these signatures was tested with ground truth data and in most cases these signatures matched with peatlands.Ground truth data were collected for 13 peatlands, and brief descriptions of the vegetation and soil characteristics for these peatlands are provided. A gradient from plains to high mountains was detected with regard to peat thickness, each associated with their own distinct plant communities. Greatest peat (average 64 cm thick) accumulation occurred at low altitudes (< 1000 m a.s.l.) and the thinnest peat (average 14 cm) occurred at high altitudes (above 3500 m a.s.l.). By combining data on the total area of peatlands with results from laboratory analysis of soil samples, we were able to investigate the potential carbon storage of peatlands in Kyrgyzstan. Depending on the location and peatland type, we found levels of carbon storage equating to 152 to 465 tons carbon per hectare, which scales up to an estimated national carbon storage equating to c.16.4 Mt for the entire country.