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LEAF technical guidance series: Developing a reference level for carbon stock enhancements

10am, January 11th, 2016

Carbon stock enhancement refers to the creation or improvement of the capacity of carbon pools and reservoirs to store and sequester carbon. Within the REDD+ context, activities that are considered carbon stock enhancement1 include afforestation/reforestation and forest management interventions to restore degraded forests. Under the category, removals associated areas that have changed from non-forest to forest are included. To include carbon stock enhancement within a national/subnational REDD+ program, the increase in the rate of sequestration resulting from activities introduced as part of the REDD+ program relative to historical or business as usual sequestration must be demonstrated.

This module offers a practical framework for developing a reference level under a REDD+ program against which management interventions that promote carbon stock enhancements can be assessed and credited. This module will offer a framework and general guidance on developing removal factors for enhancement activities, as well as how to pair activity data from enhancement activities with removal factors to produce estimates of carbon removals over time. The creation of AD for enhancement activities will also be discussed, but given the great diversity and complexity of practices that can be considered enhancement activities, this document does not offer proscriptive guidance on this.

This guidance assumes that key prerequisite decisions, data and technical capacity (e.g. hardware, software, and experts) are fulfilled as described in the Technical Guidance for the Development of a Terrestrial Carbon Monitoring System for REDD+ Framework document.

Access the training module here: Technical Guidance Series: Developing a reference level for carbon stock enhancements.

Image credit Tom Gill/Flickr

Institutions Involved

  • USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forest (LEAF)
  • Winrock International
  • The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC)
  • SNV – Netherlands Development Organization and Climate Focus
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