Achieving forest carbon information with higher certainty: A five-part plan

Baker, D. James; Richards, Gary P.; Grainger, Alan; González, Patrick; Brown, Sandra; DeFries, Ruth; Held, Alexander; Kellndorfer, Josef; Ndunda, Peter; Ojima, Dennis S.; Skrovseth, Per-Erik; Souza, Camilla Mariane Menezes; Stolle, Fred

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2010.03.004

Cited by 69 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…aggregation of their emissions estimates (Baker et al, 2010). National governments also need to regularly provide access to dedicated United Nations (UN) review panels and build systems, which are sufficiently transparent in terms of models and observational data.…”

Section: P Ciais Et Al: Current Systematic Carbon-cycle Observationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current systematic carbon-cycle observations and the need for implementing a policy-relevant carbon observing system

Dolman²,

et al. 2014

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Abstract.A globally integrated carbon observation and analysis system is needed to improve the fundamental understanding of the global carbon cycle, to improve our ability to project future changes, and to verify the effectiveness of policies aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. Building an integrated carbon observation system requires transformational advances from the existing sparse, exploratory framework towards a dense, robust, and sustained system in all components: anthropogenic emissions, the atmosphere, the ocean, and the terrestrial biosphere. The paper is addressed to scientists, policymakers, and funding agencies who need to have a global picture of the current state of the (diverse) carbon observations. We identify the current state of carbon observations, and the needs and notional requirements for a global integrated carbon observation system that can be built in the next decade. A key conclusion is the substantial expansion of the ground-based observation networks required to reach the high spatial resolution for CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes, and for carbon stocks for addressing policy-relevant objectives, and attributing flux changes to underlying processes in each region. In order to establish flux and stock diagnostics over areas such as the southern oceans, tropical forests, and the Arctic, in situ observations will have to be complemented with remote-sensing measurements. Remote sensing offers the advantage of dense spatial coverage and frequent revisit. A key challenge is to bring remote-sensing measurements to a level of long-term consistency and accuracy so that they can be efficiently combined in models to reduce uncertainties, in synergy with groundbased data. Bringing tight observational constraints on fossil fuel and land use change emissions will be the biggest challenge for deployment of a policy-relevant integrated carbon observation system. This will require in situ and remotely sensed data at much higher resolution and density than currently achieved for natural fluxes, although over a small land area (cities, industrial sites, power plants), as well as the inclusion of fossil fuel CO 2 proxy measurements such as radiocarbon in CO 2 and carbon-fuel combustion tracers. Additionally, a policy-relevant carbon monitoring system should also provide mechanisms for reconciling regional top-down (atmosphere-based) and bottom-up (surface-based) flux estimates across the range of spatial and temporal scales relevant to mitigation policies. In addition, uncertainties for each observation data-stream should be assessed. The success of the system will rely on long-term commitments to monitoring, on improved international collaboration to fill gaps in the current observations, on sustained efforts to improve access to the different data streams and make databases interoperable, and on the calibration of each component of the system to agreed-upon international scales.

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Section: P Ciais Et Al: Current Systematic Carbon-cycle Observationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current systematic carbon-cycle observations and the need for implementing a policy-relevant carbon observing system

Dolman²,

et al. 2014

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“…Discrepancies in emission reductions between feasibility study and project development can also erode the credibility of a REDD project, questioning its environmental integrity. Unrealistic expectations can be ameliorated if uncertainty can be quantified, reduced where possible, and communicated more appropriately (Waggoner 2009, Baker et al 2010). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The measurement of forest area and forest area change is being advanced through better coverage and accessibility of remote sensing imagery (Achard et al 2004, Mayaux et al 2005, Ramankutty et al 2007, Goetz et al 2009, Baker et al 2010. It is increasingly being used to infer forest carbon stocks over large spatial scales, although limitations still exist in linking imagery to on-the-ground data and in the ability to monitor forest degradation and carbon stored in deadwood and litter (Baccini et al 2008, Baker et al 2010, Bucki et al 2012. Discussions are ongoing to develop and agree on methods to establish past and predicted future rates of deforestation from which the emission reductions of an intervention can be estimated (Angelsen 2008, Olander et al 2008, Bond et al 2009, Griscom et al 2009, Huettner et al 2009, Estrada 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uncertain Emission Reductions from Forest Conservation: REDD in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Watson¹,

Mourato²,

Milner‐Gulland³

2013

E&S

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ABSTRACT. The environmental integrity of a mechanism rewarding Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) depends on appropriate accounting for emission reductions. Largely stemming from a lack of forest data in developing countries, emission reductions accounting contains substantial uncertainty as a result of forest carbon stock estimates, where the application of biome-averaged data over large forest areas is commonplace. Using a case study in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia, we exemplify the implications of primary and secondary forest carbon stock estimates on predicted REDD project emission reductions and revenues. Primary data estimate area-weighted mean forest carbon stock of 195 tC/ha ± 81, and biomeaveraged data reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change underestimate forest carbon stock in the Bale Mountains by as much as 63% in moist forest and 58% in dry forest. Combining forest carbon stock estimates and uncertainty in voluntary carbon market prices demonstrates the financial impact of uncertainty: potential revenues over the 20-year project ranged between US$9 million and US$185 million. Estimated revenues will influence decisions to implement a project or not and may have profound implications for the level of benefit sharing that can be supported. Strong financial incentives exist to improve forest carbon stock estimates in tropical forests, as well as the environmental integrity of REDD projects.

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“…The majority of carbon in tropical wetlands is stored below ground MRV of carbon stocks, accumulation and fluxes has faced a number of technical and institutional challenges in terrestrial forests, 17 though such challenges are surmountable; there are now robust carbon stock and emission assessments over large -even global -scales. 18 Indeed, it has been suggested that issues of MRV for terrestrial forests may now be more political and institutional rather than technical.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical wetlands and REDD+: Three unique scientific challenges for policy

Friess

2013

IJRLP

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Achieving forest carbon information with higher certainty: A five-part plan

Cited by 69 publications

References 29 publications

Current systematic carbon-cycle observations and the need for implementing a policy-relevant carbon observing system

Current systematic carbon-cycle observations and the need for implementing a policy-relevant carbon observing system

Uncertain Emission Reductions from Forest Conservation: REDD in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Tropical wetlands and REDD+: Three unique scientific challenges for policy

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