Forests are the most important carbon pools among terrestrial ecosystems, and sacred groves being less disturbed might constitute a form of forest management for carbon sequestration and climate change reduction. The carbon content in Zagros oak sacred grove and silvopastoral lands were compared to determine the carbon sequestration potential of the forests. In a nested sampling design, we measured total carbon content (tC ha-1) (above-ground tree biomass, above-ground sapling biomass, below-ground biomass, soil organic carbon, leaf litter, herbs, and grasses, and dead wood and fallen stumps) in both forest grove and silvopastoral lands. The mean total biomass and mean total carbon content varied between sacred groves (453.8 t ha-1 and 338.79 tC ha-1 respectively) and silvopastoral lands (89.4 t ha-1 and were, 113.46 tC ha-1). Average soil organic carbon was significantly lower (71.44 tC ha-1) in silvopastoral lands than in sacred groves (125.49 tC ha-1). The mean total sequestered carbon dioxide (CO2) was 1243.36 tCO2 h-1 in the sacred groves and 416.4 tCO2 h-1 in silvopastoral lands. Current human activities are reducing the CO2 absorption capacity of the forests. The substantial disparity emphasizes the need of restoring the damaged forests, and sacred groves might be a useful model for increasing carbon storage in them.
