Credible baseline setting and accurate and transparent Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of results are key conditions for successful REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) projects, and there are various international standards to which REDD projects must comply. In this presentation, CIFOR scientist Manuel Estrada gives an overview of international standards and methods for MRV and REDD. Manuel Estrada gave this presentation on 8 March 2012 at a workshop organised by CIFOR, ‘Measurement, Reporting and Verification in Latin American REDD+ Projects’, held in Petropolis, Brazil. The workshop aimed to explore important advances, challenges, pitfalls, and innovations in REDD+ methods — thereby moving towards overcoming barriers to meeting MRV requirements at REDD+ project sites in two of the Amazon’s most important REDD+ candidate countries, Peru and Brazil. For further information about the workshop, please contact Shijo Joseph via s.joseph (at) cgiar.org

1. Linking international
standards to REDD+ projects
Manuel Estrada, CIFOR
Latin American MRV Workshop, Petropolis, March 8, 2012

2. International standards and methods for
REDD+
Voluntary market
Standards and UNFCCC
methodologies
Results-based
VCS, REDD+
ACR,
etc National level –
(Subnational
Project level – level)
Jurisdictional level
IPCC GL 2006 + IPCC LULUCF GPG

3. REDD+ project types
REDD:
Avoided Planned Deforestation (APD)
Avoided Unplanned Deforestation and Degradation (AUDD)
Improved Forest Management (IFM)
Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (?)

4. VCS Approved methodologies applicable to
AUDD REDD projects as of March 2012
VM0006 - Methodology for Carbon Accounting in Project Activities that Reduce Emissions from
Mosaic Deforestation and Degradation, v1.0
VM0007 - REDD Methodology Modules (REDD-MF), v1.1
VM0009 - Methodology for Avoided Mosaic Deforestation of Tropical Forests, v1.1
VM0015 - Methodology for Avoided Unplanned Deforestation, v1.0

5. Basic elements and steps for AUDD baselines
• REDD+ baselines are comprised of 2 main elements: a land use and land
cover (LU/LC) change component and the associated carbon stock change
component.
• General steps for the estimation of REDD+ baselines:
Step 1. Definition of the project type
Step 2. Definition of the project boundary
Step 3. Projection of LU/LC in the baseline
Step 4. Estimation of baseline carbon stock changes
Step 5. Estimation of baseline GHG emissions
Step 6. Estimation of the baseline net GHG emissions and removals

6. Project boundaries
The project boundary is defined by:
The geographical boundary within which the project will be implemented.
Only land qualifying as ‘forest’ for a minimum of 10 years prior to the
project start date can be included in the project boundary.
Additionally, other geographical boundaries need to be established for AUDD
projects: A Reference Region, a Leakage Belt and, if applicable, Leakage
Prevention areas
The project crediting period. The project crediting period for REDD projects
shall be between 20 and 100 years.
The sources and sinks, and associated types of GHGs (i.e. CO2, N2O and
CH4), the project will affect.
The carbon pools that the project will consider.

7. Source: “Project Developer’s Guidebook to VCS REDD Methodologies”.
Version 1.0, November 2011, developed by TerraCarbon for Conservation
international
AUDD methodologies
Characteristics of the RR in different

8. Leakage belts in different AUDD
methodologies
Source: “Project Developer’s Guidebook to VCS REDD Methodologies”. Version 1.0, November 2011, developed by
TerraCarbon for Conservation international

9. Projection of LU/LC in the baseline
Identify where deforestation would likely occur using spatial analysis and
projections based on historical factors over at least the previous 10 years that
explain past patterns and can be used to make future projections of deforestation.
The criteria and procedures for identifying alternative baseline scenarios shall take
into account such factors as historical deforestation and/or degradation rates and
require the development of a baseline by determining and analyzing a reference
that shall be similar to the project area in terms of drivers and agents of
deforestation and/or degradation, landscape configuration, and socio-economic
and cultural conditions

10. Source: “Project Developer’s Guidebook to VCS REDD Methodologies”.
Version 1.0, November 2011, developed by TerraCarbon for Conservation
international
the LU/LC projection
RS required by AUDD methodologies for

11. Estimation of baseline C stock changes
The calculation of emission factors from carbon stock changes comprises 2 steps:
Step 1. Estimation of the carbon stocks of the forests and each post-deforestation
LU/LC category identified in the project area
Step 2. Determination of emission factors of all LU/LC change categories
expected in the project area:
The emission factors due to the transition from forest to other LU/LC
categories are estimated by obtaining the difference between the carbon
stocks in the forest and in the post-deforestation LU/LC category.

12. Source: “Project Developer’s Guidebook to VCS REDD Methodologies”.
Version 1.0, November 2011, developed by TerraCarbon for Conservation
international
methodologies
C stock estimates in AUDD

13. Simplified example – Estimating an AUD Baseline
1. Definition of boundaries
2. Analysis of historical LU/LC change
3. Analysis of agents, drivers and causes of
D and chain of events leading to D
4. Projection of annual areas and location
of D in the RR in the baseline
5. Identification of forest classes in areas
Based on the VCS approved methodology VM0015
that would be D in the baseline and post
D LU classes in the project area
6. Estimation of baseline C stock changes
and non-CO2 from fires (if any)
Non-forest
Forest
Historical deforestation (e.g. 2002-2011)
Projected deforestation (e.g. 2012-2021)
Reference Region Forest 100tC/ha
Project boundary Agriculture 5tC/ha
Leakage prevention areas C stock change: -95tC/ha
Leakage belt

14. Combined projects
Project developers may implement multiple activities across a
landscape in connection with a REDD project, for example, carrying out
forest protection in one area with complementary improved
agricultural management activities in another. Project developers may
either:
Develop the project as a stand-alone REDD activity, being sure to
account for any increases in emissions resulting from activities
implemented outside the project area, unless deemed de minimis, or
Combine multiple activities under a single VCS Project Description (PD),
each delineated as a separate VCS project activity.
When combining multiple activities under a single VCS project,
different activities must be segregated spatially (i.e. no overlap) to
facilitate accounting by activity type using an activity-specific
methodology, or a methodology that covers multiple activities
(currently none exists).

15. Results-based REDD+ under the UNFCCC
Parties need to establish REDD+strategies, MRV and
baselines
Subnational allowed as an “interim” measure
Subnational results-based actions require national monitorin
Methodological guidance and modalities and procedures are
still being negotiated.

16. UNFCCC
Review body
MRV reports Approval
MRV reports “REDD+ units”
National
government
Incentives at the national level
Reference levels, MRV and
Subnational Policies and
Aggregator
governments programs
Rest of the country´s
Successful REDD+ activities
forest areas

17. VCS Jurisdictional & Nested REDD Initiative
• Jurisdictional and Nested REDD Initiative
Developing guidance and criteria for jurisdictional REDD
programs to enable crediting at multiple scales (project,
state/province and national)
Create a pathway for projects to “nest” within larger scale
jurisdictional programs (both sub-national and national)
Develop best practice nested accounting and crediting at
jurisdictional scales
Frameworks may serve multiple markets (voluntary,
bilateral, pre-compliance, potentially compliance)
Interest and participation from a number of countries and
donors seeking to set up jurisdictional and/or nested project
crediting schemes
9 March 2012

18. Current thinking
Multiple accounting and crediting pathways to give
flexibility
Scenario 1: Project crediting only (with jurisdictional baseline)
Scenario 2: Jurisdictional and project crediting
Scenario 3: Jurisdictional crediting only
“Nesting” can occur at multiple scales
Project within jurisdiction
Subnational jurisdiction within national jurisdiction
9 March 2012

19. Simplified visual representation….
VCS VCS VCS
Registry Registry Registry
Buffer Buffer Buffer
?
?
Scenario 1: Jurisdictional Scenario 2: Jurisdictional Scenario 3: Jurisdictional
baseline with stand alone crediting scheme with direct crediting scheme with
project crediting crediting to nested activities internal allocation program
Note: Only 1 jurisdictional scale is shown. Grandfathering is not depicted
= jurisdictional BL only = VCS credited project = jurisdictional BL & crediting = jurisdiction “credited” project

20. 9 March 2012

21. Developing a nested system
Requires addressing technical issues such as:
Defining boundaries
Developing and nesting baselines (inc. scope, pools, additionality,
updating)
Grandfathering
Leakage
MRV
Crediting (inc. timing, distribution, double counting)
Reversals and force majeure (inc. crediting implications in nesting)
Requires addressing other issues such as:
Legal issues
Safeguards
Approvals
9 March 2012

22. Process and Timeline
Advisory and Technical Committees convened in
Q1 2011
Technical Recommendations released Oct 2011,
peer and Advisory Committee review Oct-Nov
2011, currently under revision
Draft guidance and requirements to be issued
for public comment by end of 1st quarter of
2012
Final release in mid-2012
Phase Two: Pilots, 2012-
9 March 2012

23. Thank you.
mporruacop9@gmail.com