Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries is of central importance in efforts to combat climate change. Key scientific challenges must be addressed to prevent any policy roadblocks. Foremost among the challenges is quantifying nations’ carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, which requires information on forest clearing and carbon storage. Here we review a range of methods available to estimate national-level forest carbon stocks in developing countries. While there are no practical methods to directly measure all forest carbon stocks across a country, both ground-based and remote-sensing measurements of forest attributes can be converted into estimates of national carbon stocks using allometric relationships. Here we synthesize, map and update prominent forest biomass carbon databases to create the first complete set of national-level forest carbon stock estimates. These forest carbon estimates expand on the default values recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidelines and provide a range of globally consistent estimates.
Monitoring and estimating tropical forest carbon stocks: making REDD a reality
H. Gibbs,Sandra A. Brown,J. Niles,J. Foley
Published 2007 in Environmental Research Letters
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2007
- Venue
Environmental Research Letters
- Publication date
2007-10-01
- Fields of study
Physics, Environmental Science
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar
CITATION MAP
EXTRACTION MAP
CLAIMS
CONCEPTS
- allometric relationships
Statistical relationships used to convert measured forest attributes into estimates of carbon storage.
Aliases: allometry, allometric equations
- deforestation and forest degradation
The loss and degradation of forest cover discussed as the source of carbon emissions in developing countries.
- forest biomass carbon databases
Compiled databases of forest biomass and carbon information used as input for national stock estimation.
Aliases: biomass carbon databases
- forest carbon stocks
The amount of carbon stored in forests, including the stocks that must be estimated to quantify emissions.
- globally consistent estimates
Estimates constructed to be comparable across countries using a common methodology and data synthesis.
Aliases: consistent estimates
- ground-based measurements
Field measurements of forest attributes collected directly on the ground.
Aliases: field measurements
- ipcc national greenhouse gas inventory guidelines
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines that provide default values for national greenhouse gas inventories.
Aliases: IPCC guidelines, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidelines
- national-level forest carbon stock estimates
Country-scale estimates of how much carbon is stored in forests across developing countries.
Aliases: national forest carbon stock estimates
- redd
A policy framework aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.
Aliases: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
- remote-sensing measurements
Observations of forest attributes collected from airborne or satellite sensing rather than direct field work.
Aliases: remote sensing measurements, satellite measurements
REFERENCES
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