Richard Tipper

An economic analysis of the potential for carbon sequestration by forests: evidence from southern Mexico

Abstract Forestry has been proposed as a means to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, by either reducing sources or enhancing sinks. This study assesses the potential of an incentive-based program to stimulate small farmers and communities to adopt biomass accumulating measures such as agroforestry or improved forest management. Current vegetation type, land use and stocks of carbon were assessed for an area of around 600 000 ha in southern Mexico, and the carbon (C) sequestration potential of a number of alternative techniques, based on farmers’ preferences, was estimated. Cost and benefit flows in US

A framework for monitoring and evaluating carbon mitigation by farm forestry projects: Example of a demonstration project in Chiapas, Mexico

per Megagram (=106 g) of carbon (MgC) of each current and alternative system were developed. A model was designed to calculate the expected response to financial incentives of between US

A pilot project to store carbon as biomass in African woodlands

0 and

Analysis of the carbon sequestration costs of afforestation and reforestation agroforestry practices and the use of cost curves to evaluate their potential for implementation of climate change mitigation

40 per MgC sequestered. The most cost-effective method for sequestering carbon appears to be the improved management of natural forest on communal lands. We estimated that 38×106 MgC could be sequestered for under US

Rural livelihoods and carbon management

15 MgC−1, of which 32×106 MgC through forest management. The choice of a baseline rate of biomass loss under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario remains a critical issue for estimates of the cost-effectiveness of carbon sequestration by forestry.

COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION: A FEASIBILITY STUDY FROM CHIAPAS, MEXICO

In Mexico an estimated 4.5×106ha are available for farm forestry, while up to 6.1×106ha could be saved from deforestation by making shifting agriculture more productive and sustainable. Various farm forestry systems are technically, socially, and economically viable, including live fences, coffee with shade trees, plantations, tree enrichment of fallows, and taungya, with a C-sequestration potential varying from 17.6 to 176.3 Mg C ha−1. A self-reporting system with on-site spot checks is presented for the monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and will be tested in a farm forestry C-sequestration pilot project, to begin in Chiapas, Mexico, in 1997. The M&E procedure will facilitate the collection of field data at low cost, help ensure that the systems continue to address the needs of farmers, and give farmers an understanding of the value of the service that they are providing.

Laying the Foundations for Clean Development: Preparing the Land-use Sector. A quick guide to the Clean Development Mechanism

Capturing carbon by planting trees or avoiding deforestation is thought to be a cost-effective way to reduce the inexorable rise in CO2 in the atmosphere. We describe a way to motivate African farmers to plant trees and protect woodland, based on a Mozambican pilot project in the voluntary carbon market. By late 2009, 1510 farmers were enrolled. Between 2003 and 2009, the project was able to sell carbon credits totaling approximately US

The Potential for Community-Based Forest Management in Chiapas, Mexico

1.3 million on the voluntary carbon market, corresponding to 156,000 tCO2, at a price that averaged US

Forestry and Agroforestry Land-Use Systems for Carbon Mitigation: An Analysis from Chiapas, Mexico

9.0 per ton. Moreover, the effect of the carbon project was to increase rural employment from 8.6 to 32%, whilst 73% of households raised commercial crops compared with 23% previously. There was also a notable development of social capital, with a measurable increase in literacy and the development of a business ethos with associated practical skills.