Rapid carbon stock appraisal: Kalahan, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines

A research method called Rapid Carbon Stock Appraisal (RaCSA) was conducted in Kalahan Forest Reserve (KFR), in Nueva Vizcaya Provi nce, Northern Luzon, Philippines from August 2009 to January 2010. The aim of this activ ity was to support communities, such as the Ikalahan people, to establish basic data needed in negotiating with carbon markets in a cost- effective and time-efficient manner. The appr aisal involved a combination of methods and activities (for example, plot-level carbon measurem ent, spatial analysis of land-use cover, focus group discussions, key informant interv iews and a review of the literature). There were several key results of the appraisal. • Land-use types and farming practices . The majority of Ikalahan are swidden farmers practising traditional farming (for example, pang-omis , which involves integrating tree seedlings of species such as Alnus in the swidden farms). Five major land-use and land-cover types were identified and assessed, that is, agriculture, agroforest, grassland, reforestation and secondary forests. • Plot-level carbon stocks . The estimated carbon stock of land-use systems in the KFR ranged 0.61–77.86 Mg/ha for aboveground carbon; and 21.8–67.4 Mg/ha for belowground. Total (above- and belowground) carbon stock was estimated to range 54.31–151.13 Mg/ha. These results are low compared to other carbon assessments conducted in the country. • Land-use and land-cover changes . Land-use and land-cover changes within KFR between 1981 and 2001 were assessed. A decr ease in forest, pine and agriculture occurred while there was an increase in ol d pine and reforestation (for example, mahogany). Carbon values from monitoring plots in 1994 and 2003 were used to extrapolate the land-cover types of the 1 981 and 2001 maps, respectively. Based on the results, total carbon stock was approximate ly 375.8 Gg in 1994 and 452.1 Gg in 2003, that is, a 21% increase in 12 years. • Carbon emissions . From the land-cover changes, we estimated that the KFR sequestered carbon annually at an average of 0.5 Gg and that 1.4 Gg of carbon was emitted each year over the period 1989 to 2001. • The Kalahan Educational Foundation is the major stakeholder in the KFR. It has established its own rules and regulations re lated to natural resources development and has supported traditiona l farming practices and ma nagement strategies (for example, their ‘forest improvement technology’) to enhance the carbon stock within the KFR. Currently, the Foundation is expl oring the Clean Development Mechanism market. Future options and their implicati ons for the KFR are included in the paper

---

• View source