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FY2005 FRED Database Project Description:

Project Information

 

 

Project Title:

Application and Development of Appropriate Tools and Technologies for Cost-effective Carbon Sequestration

 

Project I.D.:

DE-FC26-01NT41151

 

FE Program:

Carbon Sequestration

 

Research Type:

Applied Research        

 

Funding Memorandum:

Cooperative Agree't (nonCCT) - Tech R&D

 

 

Project Performer

 

 

Performer Type:

Nonprofit Organization

 

Performer:

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

 

Performer Address:


4245 Fairfax Drive

 

Other Project Team Members:

 

 

 

Project Dates

 

 

Project Start Date:

9-Jul-01

 

Project End Date:

10-Jul-05

 

 

Project Location

 

 

City:

Arlington

 

State:

VA

 

ZIP Code:

22203-1605

 

Congressional District:

8

 

Responsible FE Site:

NETL

 

 

Project Contact

 

 

Name:

Stanley, Bill

 

Telephone:

(703) 841-5823

 

Fax Number:

(703) 841-4880

 

Email Address:

bstanley@tnc.org                  

 

 

DOE/FE Contact

 

 

Name:

Litynski, John T

 

Telephone Number:

(304) 285-1339

 

Site Location:

NETL

 

Email Address:

John.Litynski@netl.doe.gov

 

 

Cost & Funding Info.

 

 

Total Estimated Cost:

$3,139,600

 

DOE Share:

$2,511,680

 

Non-DOE Share:

$627,920

 

 

Project Description

 

 

Project Description:

The overall objective of this project is to refine the tools and methodologies for cost-effective; verified measurements of the long-term potential of various carbon sequestration and land use emissions avoidance strategies; using real projects as proving grounds.  We will be working in close collaboration with U.S. based companies and NGO partners to undertake research that will enhance the likelihood of implementing more successful carbon sequestration projects in the future.  Our goals are to: (1) improve carbon offset estimates produced in both the planning and implementation phases of projects; (2) build valid and standardized approaches to estimate project carbon benefits at a reasonable cost; and (3) lay the groundwork for implementing more projects to provide new test ground for increasing knowledge on how to sequester significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.

 

Project Background:

General Technical Information



According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); deforestation accounts for about 20 percent of annual global emissions of carbon dioxide; the primary greenhouse gas (GHG).   Since 1850; changes in land use have contributed up to 30 percent of the carbon that has accumulated in the atmosphere.   The IPCC also estimates that between 12 and 15 percent of the fossil fuel emissions between 1995 and 2050 could be offset through efforts to slow tropical deforestation; allow tropical forest regeneration; and engage in plantations and agroforestry.



There is great potential for these cost-effective carbon sequestration projects both in the
United States and abroad.  However; without the development and refinement of tools and technologies that allow accurate and cost-effective assessments of the emissions reduction benefits of carbon sequestration; the international community may not recognize these approaches as a credible means for reducing greenhouse gases. Through the ongoing development and implementation of carbon sequestration projects on a landscape scale; The Conservancy can contribute considerably to the advancement of the state of the science of carbon sequestration.



The Conservancy has established a portfolio of pilot projects that adhere to guidelines set by the United States Initiative on Joint Implementation and that demonstrate that forest protection and management is scientifically valid GHG mitigation.  These current projects are producing offsets at an estimated cost of about $5 per metric ton of carbon equivalent emissions avoided. 

At the same time; we have built a strong base of major multi-national corporations interested in new projects and have helped to design and implement the foremost field-tested; peer-reviewed methodologies for carbon monitoring.  The continued success of current projects depends on the active involvement and support of a series of stakeholders; including industry; governments; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  The advancement of credible projects in the future is dependent upon addressing ongoing technical issues and challenges in project design and implementation.



The Conservancy's first involvement with joint implementation (JI) came in 1994 with the development of the Rio Bravo Carbon Sequestration Pilot Project in
Belize; in collaboration with a local NGO partner; the Programme for Belize (PfB) and Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO).  In January 1995; USIJI approved the project in its first round of proposal reviews.  Over the next year; WEPCO and The Conservancy worked to sell equal shares in the $2.6 million project to four other investors: PacifiCorp; Detroit Edison; Cinergy; and Utilitree.   The pilot project at Rio Bravo; which began in 1995; was recently expanded by an additional 8;000 hectares and attained a new investor; Suncor Inc. of Canada.  The Conservancy's second JI project; the Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project in Bolivia; was developed in collaboration with the American Electric Power; British Petroleum and PacifiCorp; has been fully funded at $10 million; and is the largest project of its kind in the world.  Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza; an NGO partner of the Conservancy; is implementing this project and will be a sub-recipient of this award for its part in this scope of work.



The Conservancy and its partners have also initiated several projects in the Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area in
Brazil's highly threatened Atlantic Rainforest.  The Conservancy and its Brazilian non-profit partner; the Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem (SPVS); announced this project in August 1999.  Its goal is to restore; protect and manage approximately 8;000 hectares of land that have been recently purchased with project funding and to promote sustainable development activities in the region. SPVS will be a sub-recipient of this award for its part in this work.  The project's $5.4 m

 

Project Accomplishments:

[NOTE: Updated information not available beginning 2004]

30-Sep-02:
Accomplishment: Development of Euclidean Based Deforestation Model                                                 
Description: Developed a new system (Euclidean Distance between Agriculture and Forests (EDAF)) for quantitatively assessing historical deforestation and reforestation trends , and projecting those trends into the future.

07-Oct-02:
Accomplishment: Development of New Allometric Equations for Terrestrial Carbon Storage                             
Description: We have developed new allometric equations that relate the height and diameter at breast height (dbh) of tree ferns (xaxim sp.) to carbon storage and have collected additional data to improve the general biomass equation for the
Atlantic forest biome and more accurately estimate carbon storage.

 

 

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