The document outlines the development of a standardized monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocol for soil organic carbon (SOC) changes under the GSP Recsoil initiative, aimed at enhancing carbon offset projects at the farm scale. It emphasizes a comprehensive methodology that integrates modeling and in-situ measurements to assess SOC sequestration compared to business-as-usual practices. The protocol includes guidelines on project boundaries, additionality, baseline scenarios, and effective monitoring techniques for soil carbon stocks.

1. Feasible and regionally contextualized guidelines for
measuring, mapping, monitoring and reporting on
SOC stocks and SOC changes (MRV-RECSOIL)
RECSOIL-MRV

2. Background
• There is a growing need for standardized, credible,
reliable, cost effective and feasible MRV platform for
SOC changes.
OBJECTIVE:
To develop a feasible MRV protocol for the GSP
RECSOIL initiative, to be used as a standard
protocol for carbon offset projects at farm scale.

3. RECSOIL-MRV
General Characteristics:
 Focus on soil carbon sequestration at farm and field level;
 Designed for specified SSM management practices, in croplands and
grasslands;
 SOC sequestration assessed vs . Business As Usual practice (BAU) (last 5
years records);
 Additionality assessed considering project location within GSOCseq map and
Ex-ante SOC modelling;
 Monitoring scheme:
 Combines modelling (yearly) and in-situ SOC measurements (SOC stocks
every 6 years)
 Includes accompanying SSM indicators (every 3 years)

4. Proposal
RECSOIL-
MRV
General
Workflow

7. RECSOIL-MRV Protocol
1. Scope of the MRV
2. General Applicability conditions
2.1.Scale
2.2.Elegible lands, land uses and productive systems
2.3. Restricted lands
2.4.Elegible intervention practices: GSP SOC-centered SSM practices
2.5.Restricted practices
3. Project boundaries
3.1.Spatial boundaries. Project location within GSOCseq map regions
3.2.Temporal boundaries
4. Additionality
4.1.Defining Baseline Scenario
4.2.Defining intervention scenario
4.3. Preliminary assessment: general additionality
4.4.Ex-ante Modeling to estimate additionality and permanence
4.4.1. Activity data: quality, requirements and sources
4.4.2. Modeling procedures
5. Monitoring of project implementation
5.1.Determination of Baseline and SOC stocks

8. RECSOIL-MRV Protocol
4.4.Ex-ante Modeling to estimate additionality and permanence
4.4.1. Activity data: quality, requirements and sources
4.4.2. Modeling procedures
5. Monitoring of project implementation
5.1.Determination of Baseline and SOC stocks
5.1.1. SOC and bulk density Sampling
5.1.1.1.Design and planning Stratification procedure
5.1.1.2.Pre-sampling to determine sampling size
5.1.1.3.Plot location, plot number, plot size, samples per plot
5.1.1.4.Soil depth
5.1.1.5.Field Sampling: soil carbon and bulk density
5.1.1.6.Field Sampling: coarse fragment content
5.1.1.7.Sampling materials
5.1.1.8.Timing of sampling
5.1.1.9.Frequency of sampling
5.1.1.10. Sampling preparation and storage
5.1.2. Determining Equivalent Soil Mass (ESM) from sampling round
5.1.3. Analytical methods: GLOSOLAN specifications
5.1.4. Calculation of SOC stock in each sampling round
5.2.Accompanying soil indicators

9. RECSOIL-MRV Protocol