Standards Setting Unit, SDM Programme
Panna Siyag
Accounting approach in A/R CDM project activities
FAO, Rome
27 October 2011

A/R CDM standards: Overview of features
 Ex ante (approx) vs. ex post estimation
 Project emissions (limited to use of fire)
 Leakage (limited to clearance of forested areas)
 Uncertainties (“precise or conservative” approach) – 90/10 precision in sampling
 Monitoring costs (“orders of magnitude” approach – pools/ components)
 herbaceous << shrubs << tree
 Change estimation approach – indirect (gain-loss method) vs direct (stock change method)
 Overall basis – IPCC (plus other published literature)

Changes in carbon pools: Estimation approaches
Pool
Estim. in BSL
Estim. in PROJ
Aboveground biomass
(excl. herbaceous b.)
-indirect (ratio)
-sample measurement
-sample measurement
Belowground biomass
-indirect (ratio)
-indirect (ratio)
Dead wood
-insignificant
-indirect (ratio)
-sample measurement
Litter
-insignificant
-indirect (ratio)
-sample measurement
Soil organic carbon (SOC)
-default value (IPCC)
-indirect (IPCC factors)

A/R CDM standards: Research needs
 Accurate/cost-effective tree allometric (biomass) equations – or other methods
 More precise factors / ratios
 e.g. shrub/forest biomass ratio; DW/AGB, LT/AGB ratios
 Significance, and methods of cost-effective estimation, of (i) project emissions (ii) C stocks in herbaceous biomass
 Significance of upstream / downstream effects
 e.g. manufacture of fertilizers used (negative, upstream); biomass harvested replaces more emission-intensive materials (positive, downstream)
 Approaches to addressing leakage
 e.g. intangible shift of demand to TOF; or, TOF increases in competition with project

Thank you!