Mapping an urban ecosystem service: quantifying above-ground carbon storage at a city-wide scale

The study quantifies above-ground carbon storage in Leicester, UK, finding that 231,521 tonnes of carbon are stored in vegetation, with 97.3% attributed to trees. The research highlights that national ecosystem service maps significantly undervalue the carbon contribution of the city, suggesting a need for more reliable city-wide data to support national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

• Leicester stores an estimated 231,521 tonnes of carbon in its above-ground vegetation, which averages to 3.16 kg C per m2 of urban area.
• The vast majority of the city's above-ground carbon pool, 97.3%, is stored in trees rather than in woody or herbaceous vegetation.
• Existing national estimates of ecosystem services undervalue the carbon contribution of Leicester by an order of magnitude.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). Mapping an urban ecosystem service: quantifying above-ground carbon storage at a city-wide scale. https://www.sei.org/publications/mapping-an-urban-ecosystem-service-quantifying-above-ground-carbon-storage-at-a-city-wide-scale/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Mapping an urban ecosystem service: quantifying above-ground carbon storage at a city-wide scale. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/mapping-an-urban-ecosystem-service-quantifying-above-ground-carbon-storage-at-a-city-wide-scale/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Mapping an urban ecosystem service: quantifying above-ground carbon storage at a city-wide scale |date=5 August 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/mapping-an-urban-ecosystem-service-quantifying-above-ground-carbon-storage-at-a-city-wide-scale/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011mapping, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Mapping an urban ecosystem service: quantifying above-ground carbon storage at a city-wide scale}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/mapping-an-urban-ecosystem-service-quantifying-above-ground-carbon-storage-at-a-city-wide-scale/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }