Baseline Forest Carbon Stocks Assessment for REDD+ Pilot Project in Uttarakhand Himalaya

M. Shahid; N. Verma; R. S. Rawat; Sanjay Singh; T. P. Singh; Prag M. Dhakate

doi:10.36808/if/2019/v145i9/148724

Baseline Forest Carbon Stocks Assessment for REDD+ Pilot Project in Uttarakhand Himalaya

Authors

M. Shahid Biodiversity and Climate Change Division, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, P.O. New Forest, Dehradun
N. Verma Biodiversity and Climate Change Division, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, P.O. New Forest, Dehradun
R. S. Rawat Biodiversity and Climate Change Division, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, P.O. New Forest, Dehradun
Sanjay Singh Biodiversity and Climate Change Division, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, P.O. New Forest, Dehradun
T. P. Singh Haryana Forest Department, Panchkula
Prag M. Dhakate Uttarakhand Forest Department, Haldwani

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2019/v145i9/148724

Keywords:

Change, Reference Level/Baseline, National REDD Strategy, MRV, Carbon Credit.

Abstract

Globally land use and land-use change activities accounted for about 9-11 % of total annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. REDD+ introduced under UNFCCC as major global intervention to meet GHG reduction objectives through addressing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, promoting conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. With agreement on Warsaw Framework for REDD+, it is now well matured under UNFCCC which has also been endorsed by the Paris Climate Agreement. Parties, entities willing to participate in REDD+ programmes need to develop a reference level or a baseline of forest carbon stocks in the project area. The present study aims to assess baseline carbon stocks at sub-national level in a small sub-watershed Uttarakhand covering 43,000 ha to assess the REDD+ project carbon benefits as a result of various forest management and conservation activities aimed at conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and/or enhancement of forest carbon stocks. The baseline carbon stocks in the Sub-watershed was estimated 166.76MgC ha^-1 with a total of 7.50 million tones.

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