REDD+ readiness: early insights on monitoring, reporting and verification systems of project developers

A functional measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system is essential to assess the additionality and impact on forest carbon in REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation) projects. This study assesses the MRV capacity and readiness of project developers at 20 REDD+ projects in Brazil, Peru, Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia and Vietnam, using a questionnaire survey and field visits. Nineteen performance criteria with 76 indicators were formulated in three categories, and capacity was measured with respect to each category. Of the 20 projects, 11 were found to have very high or high overall MRV capacity and readiness. At the regional level, capacity and readiness tended to be highest in the projects in Brazil and Peru and somewhat lower in Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia and Vietnam. Although the MRV capacities of half the projects are high, there are capacity deficiencies in other projects that are a source of concern. These are not only due to limitations in technical expertise, but can also be attributed to the slowness of international REDD+ policy formulation and the unclear path of development of the forest carbon market. Based on the study results, priorities for MRV development and increased investment in readiness are proposed

Management intensity controls soil N2O fluxes in an Afromontane ecosystem

Studies that quantify nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from African tropical forests and adjacent managed land uses are scarce. The expansion of smallholder agriculture and commercial agriculture into the Mau forest, the largest montane forest in Kenya, has caused large-scale land use change over the last decades. We measured annual soil N2O fluxes between August 2015 and July 2016 from natural forests and compared them to the N2O fluxes from land either managed by smallholder farmers for grazing and tea production, or commercial tea and eucalyptus plantations (n = 18). Air samples from 5 pooled static chambers were collected between 8:00 am and 11:30 am and used within each plot to calculate the gas flux rates. Annual soil N2O fluxes ranged between 0.2 and 2.9 kg N ha− 1 yr− 1 at smallholder sites and 0.6–1.7 kg N ha− 1 yr− 1 at the commercial agriculture sites, with no difference between land uses (p = 0.98 and p = 0.18, respectively). There was marked variation within land uses and, in particular, within those managed by smallholder farmers where management was also highly variable. Plots receiving fertilizer applications and those with high densities of livestock showed the highest N2O fluxes (1.6 ± 0.3 kg N2O-N ha− 1 yr− 1, n = 7) followed by natural forests (1.1 ± 0.1 kg N2O-N ha− 1 yr− 1, n = 6); although these were not significantly different (p = 0.19). Significantly lower fluxes (0.5 ± 0.1 kg N ha− 1 yr− 1, p < 0.01, n = 5) were found on plots that received little or no inputs. Daily soil N2O flux rates were not correlated with concurrent measurements of water filled pore space (WFPS), soil temperature or inorganic nitrogen (IN) concentrations. However, IN intensity, a measure of exposure of soil microbes (in both time and magnitude) to IN concentrations was strongly correlated with annual soil N2O fluxes

Reviews and syntheses: Soil N2O and NO emissions from land use and land-use change in the tropics and subtropics: a meta-analysis

Deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics may substantially alter soil N-oxide emissions. It is particularly relevant to accurately quantify those changes to properly account for them in a REDD+ climate change mitigation scheme that provides financial incentives to reduce the emissions. With this study we provide updated land use (LU)-based emission rates (104 studies, 392 N2O and 111 NO case studies), we determine the trend and magnitude of flux changes with land-use change (LUC) using a meta-analysis approach (44 studies, 135 N2O and 37 NO cases) and evaluate biophysical drivers of N2O and NO emissions and emission changes for the tropics. The average N2O and NO emissions in intact upland tropical forest amounted to 2.0 ± 0.2 (n = 90) and 1.7 ± 0.5 (n = 36) kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. In agricultural soils annual N2O emissions were exponentially related to N fertilization rates and average water-filled pore space (WFPS) whereas in non-agricultural sites a Gaussian response to WFPS fit better with the observed NO and N2O emissions. The sum of soil N2O and NO fluxes and the ratio of N2O to NO increased exponentially and significantly with increasing nitrogen availability (expressed as NO3− / [NO3−+NH4+]) and WFPS, respectively; following the conceptual Hole-In-the-Pipe model. Nitrous and nitric oxide fluxes did not increase significantly overall as a result of LUC (Hedges's d of 0.11 ± 0.11 and 0.16 ± 0.19, respectively), however individual LUC trajectories or practices did. Nitrous oxide fluxes increased significantly after intact upland forest conversion to croplands (Hedges's d = 0.78 ± 0.24) and NO increased significantly following the conversion of low forest cover (secondary forest younger than 30 years, woodlands, shrublands) (Hedges's d of 0.44 ± 0.13). Forest conversion to fertilized systems significantly and highly raised both N2O and NO emission rates (Hedges's d of 1.03 ± 0.23 and 0.52 ± 0.09, respectively). Changes in nitrogen availability and WFPS were the main factors explaining changes in N2O emissions following LUC, therefore it is important that experimental designs monitor their spatio-temporal variation. Gaps in the literature on N oxide fluxes included geographical gaps (Africa, Oceania) and LU gaps (degraded forest, wetland (notably peat) forest, oil palm plantation and soy cultivation).<br/

Dataset on soil carbon dioxide fluxes from an incubation with tropical peat from three different land-uses in Jambi Sumatra Indonesia

Conversion of tropical peat swamp forests to increase and agricultural production has generated substantial peat carbon loss in the Asia-Pacific region. Different land-uses and management practices oxidize the tropical peat at diverse rates due mainly to different water table levels. In recent years, several studies have measured soil carbon dioxide emissions in-situ; however, only few studies have evaluated the effect of moisture on carbon dioxide fluxes in incubation experiments. Here, we present the dataset of an incubation performed with 360 intact peat cores from three different land-uses (i.e. 120 from intact peat swamp forest; 120 from drained logged peat forest; and 120 from oil palm plantation) collected on the peat dome of Jambi Sumatra Indonesia. Different moisture levels in the intact cores were set by either drying the intact peat cores for short period of time or by adding extra water before the incubation. Dynamic dark aerobic incubation in airtight containers coupled with carbon dioxide measurement with an infrared gas analyser and the gas fluxes was used to measure to gas fluxes. The average carbon dioxide fluxes were 5.38 ± 0.91, 4.15 ± 0.35 and 1.55 ± 0.13 µg CO2-C g−1 h−1 for the intact peat swamp forest, drained logged peat forest and oil palm plantation, respectively

Spatio-Temporal Variability of Peat CH4 and N2O Fluxes and Their Contribution to Peat GHG Budgets in Indonesian Forests and Oil Palm Plantations

Land-use change in tropical peatlands substantially impacts peat emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in addition to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, assessments of full peat greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets are scarce and CH4 and N2O contributions remain highly uncertain. The objective of our research was to assess changes in peat GHG flux and budget associated with peat swamp forest disturbance and conversion to oil palm plantation and to evaluate drivers of variation in trace gas fluxes. Over a period of one and a half year, we monitored monthly CH4 and N2O fluxes together with environmental variables in three undrained peat swamp forests and three oil palm plantations on peat in Central Kalimantan. The forests included two primary forests and one 30-year-old secondary forest. We calculated the peat GHG budget in both ecosystems using soil respiration and litterfall rates measured concurrently with CH4 and N2O fluxes, site-specific soil respiration partitioning ratios, and literature-based values of root inputs and dissolved organic carbon export. Peat CH4 fluxes (kg CH4 ha−1 year−1) were insignificant in oil palm (0.3 ± 0.4) while emissions in forest were high (14.0 ± 2.8), and larger in wet than in dry months. N2O emissions (kg N2O ha−1 year−1) were highly variable spatially and temporally and similar across land-uses (5.0 ± 3.9 and 5.2 ± 3.7 in oil palm and forest). Temporal variation of CH4 was controlled by water table level and soil water-filled pore space in forest and oil palm, respectively. Monthly fluctuations of N2O were linked to water table level in forest. The peat GHG budget (Mg CO2 equivalent ha−1 year−1) in oil palm (31.7 ± 8.6) was nearly eight times the budget in forest (4.0 ± 4.8) owing mainly to decreased peat C inputs and increased peat C outputs. The GHG budget was also ten times higher in the secondary forest (10.2 ± 4.5) than in the primary forests (0.9 ± 3.9) on the account of a larger peat C budget and N2O emission rate. In oil palm 96% of emissions were released as CO2 whereas in forest CH4 and N2O together contributed 65% to the budget. Our study highlights the disastrous atmospheric impact associated with forest degradation and conversion to oil palm in tropical peatlands and stresses the need to investigate GHG fluxes in disturbed undrained lands