UNFCCC and IPCC guidance on measuring and monitoring forest degradation “Moving on From Experimental Approaches to Advancing National Systems for Measuring and Monitoring Forest Degradation Across Asia” A LEDS Global Partnership Regional Workshop hosted by the AFOLU Working Group June 16, 17 and 18, Marriott Courtyard, Bangkok, ThailandMarriott Courtyard Dr. Sapit Diloksumpun Kasetsart University

 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands  2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventory  2003 Good Practice Guidance (GPG) for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry 2003 Good Practice Guidance (GPG) for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry  Definitions and Methodological Options to Inventory Emissions from Direct Human-induced Degradation of Forests and Devegetation of Other VegetationTypes Definitions and Methodological Options to Inventory Emissions from Direct Human-induced Degradation of Forests and Devegetation of Other VegetationTypes  2000 IPCC Good Practice Guidance (GPG) and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories 2000 IPCC Good Practice Guidance (GPG) and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories  1996 IPCC Revised Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1996 IPCC Revised Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Estimates of carbon emissions and removals involve two factors: 1. The amount of area undergoing a specific transition- this is called the Activity Data 2. The change in carbon pools association with that transition- this is called the Emissions Factor

A.Changes in forest and other woody biomass stocks due to  commercial management  harvest of industrial roundwood (logs) and fuelwood  establishment and operation of forest plantations  planting of trees in urban, village and non-forest locations B.Forest and grassland conversion  the conversion of forests and grassland to pasture, cropland etc. can significantly change C-stocks in vegetation and soil C.Abandonment of cropland, pasture, plantation forests, or other managed lands D.CO 2 emissions and removals from soils  cultivation of mineral soils  cultivation of organic soils  liming of agricultural soils

 Forest Land  Forest Land Remaining Forest Land (FF)  Land Converted to Forest Land (LF)  Cropland  Cropland Remaining Cropland Land (CC)  Land Converted to Cropland (LC)  Grassland  Grassland Remaining Grassland Land (GG)  Land Converted to Grassland (LG)  Wetlands  Peatland Remaining Peatland  Land Being Converted for Peat Extraction  Flooded Land Remaining Flooded Land  Land Converted to Flooded Land  Settlements  Settlements Remaining Settlements (SS)  Land Converted to Settlements (LS)  Other Land  Land Converted to Other land AFOLU: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses

1A long-term loss of productivity that is difficult to assess, especially when applied to soils, water, and the landscape 2A direct human-induced loss of forest values (particularly carbon), likely to be characterized by a reduction of tree crown cover. Routine management from which crown cover will recover within the normal cycle of forest management operations is not included. 3Changes within the forests that negatively affect the structure or function of the stand and site, and thereby lower the capacity to supply products and/or services 4Direct human-induced activity that leads to a long-term reduction in forest carbon Stocks 5The long-term reduction of the overall potential supply of benefits from the forest, which includes carbon, wood, biodiversity and any other product or service 6The overuse or poor management of forests that leads to long-term reduced biomass density (carbon stocks)

Some key features of these definitions include:  Canopy change  Ambiguous terms  Carbon stocks  Other forest values  Long-term effects  Exclusion of deforestation  Source of degradation  Minimum area threshold  Biomass

A framework for a definition of forest degradation that meets the criteria discussed in the context of the Kyoto Protocol: Notes:  An area threshold (if required), as well as time and carbon loss thresholds remain to be specified A direct human-induced long-term loss (persisting for X years or more) of at least Y% of forest carbon stocks [and forest values] since time T and not qualifying as deforestation or an elected activity under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol.

General methodology to estimate carbon stock changes and emissions and removals include: Step 1: Selection of reporting method for identification of geographical location of forest degradation Step 2: Identification of standards against which potentially degrading processes can be compared Step 3: Identification of lands where direct human-induced forest degradation according to selected/accepted definitions has led to long-term reduction of carbon stocks >>> activity data Step 4: Estimation of carbon stock changes and emissions and removals of non-CO2 gases due to direct human-induced forest degradation activities >>> emissions factor IPCC Approaches and Tiers (GPG-LULUCF)

 Approach 1: Areas of different land use at different times  basic land use data but no tracking of land use conversions  Approach 2: A land conversion matrix by area but not spatially explicit  survey of land use and land-use change  Approach 3: Spatially explicit monitoring of land use change  geographically explicit land use data

The IPCC has set up a Carbon Accounting system of three tiers based on available data and capacity  Tier 1: “Global defaults” Default emissions factor values from the IPCC database used.  Tier 2: “Local defaults” Country defined emission factors used. Higher resolution activity data used: specific regions and land use categories  Tier 3: Uses models, inventory monitoring systems and high resolution data tailored to reflect national characteristics. Requires national and sub-national carbon inventories and repeated measurements in areas where land use is changing. Models are validated and calibrated with field measurements.

 ground-based forest carbon inventory approaches  Remote sensing techniques  Combination of remote sensing and ground-based forest carbon inventory approaches Determination of thresholds for time and detection of minimum carbon loss, and a minimum area threshold may affect methods used for land areas identification Definitions - forest - forest degradation Activity data

Which major carbon pools to consider 1. Above-ground biomass: stems, bark, leaves, etc. 2. Below-ground biomass: roots of all sizes 3. Dead wood or dead organic matter in dead wood 4. Litter or dead organic matter in litter 5. Soil organic carbon (SOC) Emissions factor

Based on of the GPG-LULUCF (Chapter 3)  Methods for calculation of carbon stock changes varying with the relevant carbon pools as well as for emissions of non-CO 2 GHGs….>>identification of carbon pools  Estimation methods to determined annual decrease in carbon stocks applicable to forest degradation (regard as Forest Land Remaining Forest Land)  Estimation methods of emissions of non-CO 2 GHGs caused by Human-induced activities that lead to forest degradation (regard as non-CO2 emissions from agricultural soils) Emissions factor

Identification of carbon pools i.e. living biomass (above- and below- ground), dead organic matter (dead wood and litter) and soils Estimating annual decrease in carbon stocks due to biomass loss  Gain-loss method (Sum of annual biomass losses from commercial roundwood fellings, fuelwood gathering, and other losses)  Stock change method (annual average of biomass change is the difference between the biomass at time t2 and time t1) Estimating annual change in carbon stocks in dead organic matter  Dead wood … 1. Gain-loss method >> decay rate 2. Stock change method  Litter… … 1. Gain-loss method >> transition period 2. Stock change method Estimating annual change in carbon stocks in soils  The method used for mineral soils is different from that used for organic soils

Human-induced activities considered as emission sources of non-CO 2 greenhouse gases are fire, changes in water table in organic soils, and fertilization N 2 O, NOx, CH 4 and CO emissions from forest burning CH 4 emissions from organic soils N 2 O emissions from application of mineral and organic fertilizers, organic residues and biological nitrogen fixation in managed grassland

Challenges associated with the different methods:  Temporal thresholds and spatial scales  Integration of field and satellite data  Spatial impact and intensity  Identification of key forest carbon pools affected by degradation Challenges in assessing historical forest degradation:  Lack of data  Insufficient capacity  Temporal considerations  Integration of different data sources  Inconsistencies when linking historical and present data sets and methodologies.

 Countries need to assess both carbon stock changes (emission factors) and the total area undergoing degradation (activity data) for their monitoring to be in line with the IPCC Good Practice Guidance  Measuring forest degradation and related forest carbon stock changes is more complicated and more costly than measuring deforestation  Focusing efforts to monitor carbon stock changes on the most important categories of carbon pools and on specific areas within the country can help both to make the monitoring more targeted and efficient and to capture the most important components with priority  The evaluation of the total area undergoing degradation is more reliably measured through combination of remote sensing and forest ground inventory  Both current and historical assessments of forest degradation will need to collect data on emission factors and activity data consistently to estimate emissions from forest degradation

Thank you “Moving on From Experimental Approaches to Advancing National Systems for Measuring and Monitoring Forest Degradation Across Asia” A LEDS Global Partnership Regional Workshop hosted by the AFOLU Working Group June 16, 17 and 18, Marriott Courtyard, Bangkok, ThailandMarriott Courtyard Dr. Sapit Diloksumpun Kasetsart University