04033nam a22001577a 4500003000400000005001700004008004100021040001000062100002800072245017100100260005400271300006900325500335400394500007203748504005503820OSt20250328140506.0250328b        |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  c NVSU  aCaranza, Mer Joseph Q.   aForest fragmentation analysis of selected watersheds in the palali-mamparang mountain range (pmmr) and its implication to carbon stock values/cMer Joseph Q. Caranza   aBayombong:bNueva Vizcaya State University,c2023  axiv, 97 leaves :billustrations (some colored), photos ;c28 cm.  aTerrestrial ecosystems are vital to influencing carbon dioxide-driven climate change. When fragmentation-related degradation takes place, it directly affects this mass of carbon and has a parallel effect leading to deterioration, but the dynamics are highly influenced by the alteration of forest cover. Given the different development thrusts in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, the monitoring of changes in land cover, estimation of carbon storage, and the level of fragmentation including its consequences in carbon stock as affected by attitudes, values, and perceptions of the local community has become an important undertaking. This study aims to examine the fragmentation shifts of Bansing-Magapuy, Mabuslo-Nantawakan, and Nantawakan watersheds in the PMMR and estimate the amount of carbon stock values and explore links to the fragmentation. Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellite images covering the period 2010 to 2021 were classified to generate the land cover maps. Fragmentation was analyzed through FRAGSTATS v.4, with Forest, Agriculture, Shrub, and Bare as class types while the process of carbon stock estimation was implemented using the carbon storage and sequestration model of the Integrated Valuation and Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) software. Classified images covering 2010 and 2021 showed that the largest land cover among the different land covers in the selected watersheds is forest and shrub. The largest forest cover among watersheds in 2010 and 2021 was in Bansing-Magapuy watershed covering 3,279 ha. and 3,059 ha., respectively. Meanwhile, the largest shrub cover among watersheds in 2010 and 2021 was in the Mabuslo-Nantawakan watershed covering 3,602 ha. and 2,546 ha., respectively. Based on change detection, agricultural and bare conversion is prominent among the watersheds significantly increasing its area and aggregation causing and affecting other class types to exhibit more fragmentation. Much of the carbon stock was attributed to the high carbon pool values of the forest class. The estimated overall carbon storage in the Bansing-Magapuy was 2,037,554 tons of carbon in 2010, and it decreased to 1,879,601 tons of carbon by 2021. Forests accounted for approximately 87% of the total carbon stock in 2010 and approximately 88% in 2021. In the Mabuslo-Nantawakan watershed, the carbon stock was estimated at 2,444,070 tons in 2010 and 2,094,440 tons in 2021. The forest land cover class accounted for approximately 68% of the total carbon stock in 2010 and around 73% in 2021. Conversely, the Nantawakan watershed exhibited a total carbon stock of 1,278,869 tons in 2010, which decreased to 1,100,899 tons by 2021. Notably, the forest land cover class contributed approximately 55% and 63% of the total carbon stock in the Nantawakan watershed for the years 2010 and 2021, respectively. Results of FRAGSTATS show that forest and shrubland displayed huge losses indicated by decreased class area and the average size of patches accompanied by a more subdivided landscape shown by their increased number of patches, which decreased the total carbon stock. Edge effect as a result of class and landscape fragmentation in forest vegetation has somehow increased at the landscape level as indicated by the increase in fractal dimension, although had sustained patch cohesion and increased clumpiness.  aThesis (Master of Science in Forestry - Forest Resource Management)  aIncludes appendices and bibliographical references