connectivity of vegetation diversity, carbon stock, and peat depth in peatland ecosystems

background and objectives: peat swamp forest ecosystems are fragile ecosystems with different peat depths according to the level of peat formation. moreover, a peat swamp forest can have diverse vegetation and high carbon stocks. thus, caution should be taken in the sustainable management of a peat swamp forest. however, the connection between vegetation diversity, carbon stocks, and peat depths has not been widely studied in efforts to conserve vegetation and peatlands. this study aimed to analyze the connection between vegetation diversity, carbon stocks, and peat depths in the kahayan sebangau peat hydrology unit. methods: plots at the peat depths of four sites were studied: site 1 ( 50 cm), site 2 (393-478 cm), site 3 (479-564 cm), and site 4 (565-649 cm). findings: : this study discovered that diverse vegetation at the tree, sapling, and seedling levels and the species richness at different peat depths were significantly different due to various nutrient contents and distances from the river. the number of species found varied at various peat depths, with 20, 28, 32, and 19 species at peat depths of 565 cm, 479- 565 cm, 393- 479 cm, and 50 cm, respectively. in addition, the highest carbon stock was 95.2 ± 19.52 mg c/ha, which was found at a peat depth of 479 – 564 cm and a vegetation diameter of ≥10 cm. the tree species combretocarpus rotundatus (miq.) danser, maclurodendron porteri (hook. f.) t.g. hartley, tetramestra glabra miq, and horsfieldia irya (gaertn.) warb. had high survival rates and grew at a peat depth of 50 cm. the study results confirmed that peat thickness could not directly affect the vegetation dynamic in terms of vegetation diversity. the vegetation changes were influenced directly by changing other characteristics of peat hydrology, peat chemistry, and peat organic matter. conclusion: all pearson correlation values between peat depth, vegetation diversity, and carbon stock were positive with each other. this shows that peat depth, vegetation diversity, and carbon stock are interdependent and connected to one another.