Participatory Carbon Estimation in Community Forest: Methodologies and Learnings

Abstract

Despite the potentiality of community forests to receive payment in turn its contribution of global carbon abatement, inadequate technical difficulties and scientifc base limit the carbon estimation and claim for the payment of carbon compensation in international market. This paper intends to provide an overview of participatory biomass and carbon estimation of CF in Nepal. Synthesized methodologies of national inventory guidelines, IPCC, McDicken and literature estimates were used to execute inventory and calculate the biomass and carbon density. The study found that GPS consumes less time to mapping boundary and laying out sample plots permanently with less systematic and personal errors than using compass survey. The ground based inventory is time consuming, the study concludes that the making capable local users in handling GPS and promoting participatory inventory and carbon calculation avoids the cost thereby make CFs able to claim in access to international carbon market. Key Words: GPS, Biomass, Abatement, Compensation, International carbon market DOI: 10.3126/init.v2i1.2528 The Initiation Vol.2(1) 2008 pp91-98