At Ecometrica we are often asked, “How many trees do you need to store one tonne of carbon?” The amount of carbon stored by a tree depends on its size, which is influenced by many factors – the species, the local conditions and the way it is managed. In an attempt to find a simple answer to this question we tracked down a tree that stored exactly one tonne of carbon. Here we describe that tree and how we estimated its carbon content.

Use the link below to download the full paper on the One-Tonne Carbon Tree!

“Norway’s International Climate and Forests Initiative (NICFI) has had a galvanising effect on efforts to build a global regime to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation”.

This is just one of the conclusions of a detailed evaluation of NICFI carried out by Ecometrica, LTS International, Indufor Oy and the Christian Michelsen Instititue. Dr Richard Tipper led the evaluation of NICFI’s impacts on global policy developments, which was one of six reports commissioned by Norad. This work represents the largest evaluation ever commissioned by Norad and is a key example of climate policy evaluation in practice.

For further details and to download the reports:

http://www.norad.no/en/Tools+and+publications/Publications/Publication+Page?key=333472

We undertook pro bono work for the Child Future Africa Foundation to map recent agricultural expansion on their Mount Darwin Orpharm, which provides a family home combined with agricultural activity to a number of HIV/Aids orphans. We used a very high resolution panchromatic satellite image from the WorldView-1 satellite to produce a map that clearly shows the recent addition of new agricultural fields. This map will assist the CFA Foundation with fundraising activities for further non-profit improvement and expansion of the orphanage. The satellite data was kindly donated by European Space Imaging through Infoterra.

BioCarbon Tracker uses satellite data and advanced methods to map the ecosystems where biocarbon is stored, identify vegetation at risk from land use change and monitor where high biocarbon stock land such as forest is converted to agriculture.

Greenergy used Ecometrica’s expertise in land use and remote sensing, combined with our advanced web mapping technology to deliver BioCarbon Tracker. Ecometrica developed data layers within BioCarbon Tracker with help from researchers at the University of Edinburgh.

Speaking on the project, Ecometrica senior analyst Dr Nicholas Berry said, “BioCarbon Tracker is an innovative tool that should support decision making by firms within agricultural supply chains, by investors and by policy makers”.

Try BioCarbon Tracker Now>

Working with Imperial College London, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Forest Research, and Aberdeen University to investigate the mitigation potential from biofuels and bioenergy, avoided deforestation, and afforestation/reforestation. Ecometrica assessed the economic, social and environmental impacts of avoided deforestation, and compiled a number of case studies to identify real-world constraints to achieving the technically available mitigation potential. This was a two year research project funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council.

As part of a consortium led by WCS and funded by the Ecosystems Services for Poverty Alleviation research programme (NERC/ESRC/DFID), we are working to develop a grant proposal to generate new data and understanding, as well as build developing country capacity to design and implement policy relevant research on the impact of climate change on ecosystem services and rural livelihoods. We are working with partners in Tanzania, Rwanda, Brazil and Bolivia to prepare a research consortium grant proposal to explore the potential use of systems dynamic models of climate, ecosystem services and rural livelihoods, combined with participatory assessments of governance options, across a range of spatial and political scales.

A part of a consortium led by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and funded by the Ecosystems Services for Poverty Alleviation research programme (NERC/ESRC/DFID), we are embarking upon a piece of work aimed at poverty alleviation through sustainable use of biomass energy. The overarching objective of this work is to develop a world class interdisciplinary North-South-South research partnership and strategy that reshapes the impact of a predicted large-scale expansion in global biomass energy use on poverty and ecosystem services in developing countries. The consortium also includes Practical Action, Rothamstead Research, the University of East Anglia (UEA), Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), and Bioclimate Research and Development. Research, chosen on account of current energy-forest pressure, will be focused in India, Kenya and Malawi.

We are developing a tool to assist agri-industrial companies to identify threats to carbon stocks from their activities, and opportunities for interventions that are beneficial to ecosystem services. We are developing interactive maps of global carbon stocks, threats to carbon stocks, and identifying areas of opportunity to restore carbon to more productive levels. Through an interactive web-based interface, end users will be able to identify the impacts and benefits of their activities, and use the outcomes to report on compliance with regulations, and inform management decisions.

We are contributing to a research project working on the development of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) projects in Malawi, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Mzuzu University, LTS International, the Plan Vivo Foundation and the Government of Malawi Department of Forestry, and funded by the Waterloo Foundation. The aim of the research is to establish the best means of combining remote sensing with community-based management to support sustainable forest use in Malawi. The intention is to make a real improvement on the way in which the forests are managed and used in Malawi.

Working for a leading biofuels producer to assist in the development of effective processes and tools for monitoring land use change in areas under their stewardship and influence. This project involved the identification and mapping of ecosystems in and around current and potential biofuel production areas, defining historic land-use and ecosystem change prior to biofuel feedstock production, streamlining processes for identifying areas of ecosystem conservation, restoration and management within and around production areas, and monitoring of changes to productive and natural ecosystems since production started. The first phase of this work was conducted in the Goias state, Brazil.

Working with Imperial College London, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Forest Research, and Aberdeen University to investigate the mitigation potential from biofuels and bioenergy, avoided deforestation, and afforestation/reforestation. Ecometrica assessed the economic, social and environmental impacts of avoided deforestation, and compiled a number of case studies to identify real-world constraints to achieving the technically available mitigation potential. This was a two year research project funded by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The Norway International Climate and Forest Initiative has committed up to $500 million a year to support efforts that reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The real-time evaluation commissioned by the Evaluation Department of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) will assess progress and provide advice to assist in the achievement of the following objectives: (i) the inclusion of REDD in a new international climate regime; (ii) early action to achieve cost-effective and verifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and (ii) the conservation of natural forests to maintain their carbon storage capacity. Ecometrica are working in partnership with LTS International, Indufor, and the Chr. Michelsen Institute on the evaluation.

Ecometrica conducted a feasibility assessment investigating the potential of developing small-holder forest carbon projects in around 37,500 hectares of land in coffee growing regions of Uganda. Proposed carbon projects would aim to encourage around 5,000 coffee farmers in each of the target regions to establish agroforestry plantations in existing coffee growing land through planting shade trees. This report was to assess the potential, eligibility and basic feasibility of these carbon projects, through the establishment of agroforestry systems including shade coffee, and boundary planting.

Historical and current satellite images were used to provide a history of land cover changes in a forest reserve in Ghana since 1989 for a client investigating the investment potential under REDD. Since associated estimates in biomass change over time were needed, a rapid assessment was made by using IPCC default values and literature review. To provide additional information on threats to the forest area, a fire history was compiled for the area using a satellite-derived fire hotspot detection database service available from NASA.

In collaboration with the Universities of Napier, Bangor and Edinburgh in the UK and the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Ecometrica was involved in the training of three KMFRI employees from Kenya in Edinburgh, in mapping using remote sensing, GIS and stakeholder participation. We also carried out a 5 day training course for 17 individuals with participants from Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania. Ecometrica’s role was to provide the CAMARV project team with the technical requirements necessary for developing PES projects, including appropriate facilitation and field techniques. The project aims to build sustainable networks between Northern and Southern institutions for the management of natural resources to support Ecosystem Services and contribute to the alleviation of poverty. The overall aim of the project is to develop the tools, datasets and network needed to alleviate pressure on mangroves through payments for ecosystem services in East Africa.

Working with the Malawi, Environmental, Endowment Trust (MEET), and Bioclimate Research and Development, on a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We developed a participatory process for Monitoring Assessment and Verification of ecosystem service benefits from Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects in national parks and forest reserves in Malawi, in collaboration with technical staff from Forest Research Insititue of Malawi (FRIM), LEAD, and the Government of Malawi Department of Forestry. We trained local technical staff and community field workers in mapping, forest survey, and participatory approaches to defining REDD baselines, and estimating project effectiveness; and produced methodologies, technical papers, and contributions to project design documents for submission to the Plan Vivo Foundation.

Working with the Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement, Cameroon (CED), and Bioclimate Research and Development, UK, on a project commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to assess the feasibility of developing Payments for Ecosystem Service (PES) projects at three sites in Cameroon. We developed an assessment framework and carried out an assessment of the potential for forest carbon project development. The assessment was used by WWF to determine priority sites for project development.

Working for Rainforest Concern, we assessed the technical feasibility of developing a forest carbon project in two areas of the Chocó-Andean Corridor. This included training local teams in survey methodologies, an assessment of potential for the development of carbon credits for sale on the voluntary carbon market, with reference to the requirements of the main standards for issuing carbon credits and certifying forest carbon projects.

Working in collaboration with the Greenbelt Movement, and LTS International we carried out an assessment of technical feasibility for the development of a carbon project in the Enoosupukia area of Kenya. The project aimed to provide carbon benefits that may attract investors through the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) or Plan Vivo certification schemes. The overall aim of the project was to provide sufficient information to the client to enable an informed decision about whether a forest carbon project at this site was likely to be a viable opportunity. We trained local technical staff, and provided support during a survey of carbon stocks in around 8,000 ha of forest land; and modelled the potential carbon benefits from agroforestry interventions.

Through the use of historical and contemporary satellite images, we developed a novel method for quantifying CO2 emissions from direct and indirect land use change (ILUC) related to the expansion of soy in an area spanning 2.1 million ha in Argentina. The project was commissioned by a leading biofuels producer and has demonstrated a cost-effective alternative to the economic models that have hitherto been applied in the ILUC question. Results have been used to advise on EU policy related to biofuels.

Working with the Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement (CED), Cameroon, and Bioclimate Research and Development, UK, on a Congo Basin Forest Fund project supported by the UK Department For International Development (DFID). We developed a participatory process for Monitoring Assessment and Verification of ecosystem service benefits from Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects in two Community Forests in Cameroon. We trained local technical staff and community field workers in mapping, forest survey, and participatory approaches to defining REDD baselines, and estimating project effectiveness; and produced methodologies, technical papers, and contributions to project design documents for submission to the Plan Vivo Foundation.

Working with Cranfield University to calculate a national greenhouse gas inventory for UK food consumption. Ecometrica developed a methodology for estimating the direct and indirect emissions from land use change (LUC) caused by UK food consumption. This was a “top-down” approach based on total global LUC emissions, the proportion of LUC caused by agricultural expansion, and the total land area associated with UK food consumption, using world average yields. The inventory was used to develop a set of mitigation scenarios for reducing emissions from UK food consumption by 70% by 2050.

Ecometrica developed a draft methodology for quantifying the greenhouse gas reductions from biochar projects. The methodology specifically relates to small-scale projects which sequester carbon through pyrolysis of biomass that would otherwise have been left to decay or been burned in an uncontrolled manner. The draft methodology was submitted to the Voluntary Carbon Standard for stakeholder consultation.

Working for a company specialising in carbon credits generated through tropical forest conservation projects, Ecometrica provided technical expertise and training in forest carbon inventory for PES projects. This was carried out through training of field teams from Birdlife International, and WCS, in forest inventory, and conducting pilot study of forest carbon stocks. An initial assessment of threats to forest carbon, REDD baseline scenarios, and the potential routes for project development were assessed to determine project feasibility.