Potential Biodiversity and Climate Benefits of Voluntary Carbon Market Tree-Planting Projects
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Date
2022-08-05
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Pimm, Stuart
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Abstract
This research explored the potential for voluntary carbon markets to benefit forest
biodiversity and climate change by directing funding to tree-planting projects. This
research topic is important because voluntary carbon markets are rapidly expanding
and have the potential to drive great financial resources to nature-based climate
change solutions such as tree-planting projects. In addition, tree-planting projects
are gaining attention internationally and may gain prominence among nature-based climate
solutions. Tree-planting projects can simultaneously provide climate change mitigation
and biodiversity benefits. There also may be opportunities to maximize both benefits
within a single tree-planting project. However, there has been a lack of research
on this subject. There is particularly a lack of research on potential optimization
by influencing the carbon sequestration rate. Tree-planting project type and design
affect the potential biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits of tree-planting
projects. Organizations may be able to optimize biodiversity and carbon sequestration
benefits through their project type and design choices. However, the biodiversity
benefits of tree-planting projects are context-dependent, and there are risks inherent
in large-scale tree-planting efforts. Tree-planting projects not conducted according
to best practices can significantly harm biodiversity and contribute to climate change
through carbon emissions. There is currently a knowledge gap on the types and designs
of tree-planting projects gaining funding through voluntary carbon markets. For this
project, I created an extensive dataset on all the tree-planting projects that applied
to the VCS and CCB Standards (and were included in Verra's registry as of September
2021). I conducted a two-part study on the dataset. First, I extensively researched
the activities and carbon sequestration benefits of tree-planting projects certified
to the rules of the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community, and
Biodiversity Standards (CCB). To do this, I summed the reported carbon sequestration
values of the projects. I calculated the extent and prevalence of project types and
designs among projects that have been certified to the rules of the Standards. Second,
I explored the potential for tree-planting projects to optimize both carbon and biodiversity
benefits. To do this, I researched the following questions: (1) How does planting
higher numbers of tree species affect the carbon sequestration rate of tree-planting
projects? (2) How does planting native species affect the carbon sequestration rate
of tree-planting projects? (3) How do the carbon sequestration rates of various tree-planting
project types compare? I used simple linear regression, one-way ANOVA, the Kruskal-Wallis
Rank Sum Test, and the post hoc Dunn’s test to answer these questions for the set
of projects that have been certified to the rules of the VCS. I did not find a significant
relationship between the number of tree species planted and the carbon sequestration
rate. I also did not find a significant relationship between the use of native species
and the rate of carbon sequestration. However, I found that project type significantly
affects the carbon sequestration rate of a tree-planting project. The carbon sequestration
rate of monoculture commercial forestry (planting one species) was significantly higher
than that of commercial forestry projects planting two or three tree species. In addition,
the carbon sequestration rate of a type of tree-planting project in China was significantly
higher than that of commercial forestry projects planting two or three species. The
project types and designs favorable for biodiversity were not prominent among the
projects certified to the rules of the VCS. My results indicated that projects certified
to the rules of the VCS, on average, better resemble commercial plantations of few
species than species-rich native forest restorations. In addition, I found that native
forest restorations were not a large component of projects registered to the CCB Standards,
although the CCB Standards are intended to identify projects benefitting local biodiversity.
My results indicated that the VCS could be conserving or harming biodiversity by directing
funding to tree-planting projects. Since the VCS is the market leader among voluntary
carbon standards, this suggests that voluntary carbon markets could be conserving
or harming biodiversity by directing funding to tree-planting projects.
Type
Master's projectDepartment
Nicholas School of the EnvironmentSubject
Conservation BiologyAfforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation
Nature Based Climate Solutions
Tree Planting
Carbon Sequestration
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/25581Citation
Horn, Courtney (2022). Potential Biodiversity and Climate Benefits of Voluntary Carbon Market Tree-Planting
Projects. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/25581.Collections
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