Accounting for avoided conversion of intact and non-intact forests Technical options and a proposal for a policy tool Accounting for avoided forest conversion : a technical proposal for a measurement system

Abstract

This paper provides background information on technical issues related to the accounting of preserved carbon from avoided forest conversion. Such technical issues include the potential of Earth observation techniques to measure forest areas from global to national scales, and options for determining global and national baselines of forest conversions. The proposal made on how to account for avoided forest conversion is one of many possible proposals. It is only made to provide a framework for the technical discussions and it does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Commission. As a service of the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre provides scientific and technical support for European Union policy making. Over the last 15 years the JRC has carried out extensive research into monitoring forest condition and extent and into measuring forest area change from global to local scales using satellite observations.