Spatial + Temporal Scope [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Relationship to UNFCCC
GHGI coverage, approaches, methods and tiers
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Remote sensing observations
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Use of global forest change map data
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Relationship to UNFCCC
GHGI coverage, approaches, methods and tiers
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Remote sensing observations
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Use of global forest change map data
REDD+ Activities [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Use of global forest change map data
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Use of global forest change map data
LULC Stratification Scheme [MGD Sections]
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Selecting an integration framework
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Remote sensing observations
Global forest cover change datasets
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Maps of forest/non-forest, land use, or forest stratification
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Sampling
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Selecting an integration framework
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Remote sensing observations
Global forest cover change datasets
Ground-based observations
Guiding principles – Remote sensing and ground-based observations
Activity data
Maps of forest/non-forest, land use, or forest stratification
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Sampling
Forest Definition [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Remote sensing observations
Global forest cover change datasets
National forest inventories
Activity data
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Remote sensing observations
Global forest cover change datasets
National forest inventories
Activity data
Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Carbon Pools [MGD Sections]
IPCC good practice guidance
Significance and key category analysis
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Activity data x emission/removal factor tools
Fully integrated tools
Ground-based observations
Emissions/removals factors
Above- and belowground biomass
Dead wood and litter pools
Soil organic carbon
Emissions from prescribed fires and wildfires
National choices in emissions and removals factor estimation
Emission and removal factor uncertainties
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
Financial considerations
Sampling
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Brief review of the potential for estimation of biomass by remote sensing
mgd_Appendix_H
Significance and key category analysis
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Activity data x emission/removal factor tools
Fully integrated tools
Ground-based observations
Emissions/removals factors
Above- and belowground biomass
Dead wood and litter pools
Soil organic carbon
Emissions from prescribed fires and wildfires
National choices in emissions and removals factor estimation
Emission and removal factor uncertainties
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
Financial considerations
Sampling
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Brief review of the potential for estimation of biomass by remote sensing
mgd_Appendix_H
Approaches Methods + Tiers [MGD Sections]
Institutional arrangements and REDD+ decisions
IPCC good practice guidance
GHGI coverage, approaches, methods and tiers
Significance and key category analysis
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Financial considerations
Sampling
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Use of global forest change map data
IPCC good practice guidance
GHGI coverage, approaches, methods and tiers
Significance and key category analysis
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Activity data
Emissions/removals factors
Estimating total emissions/removals and its uncertainty
Guiding principles – Estimation and uncertainty
REDD+ requirements and procedures
Financial considerations
Sampling
Country examples – Tier 3 integration
Use of global forest change map data
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Appendix A Financial considerations
NFMS and associated measurement, reporting and verification processes have technical and administrative costs for their establishment and operation. These costs are affected by national circumstances. They vary over time and should be considered during the design decision stage.
There are potential cost efficiencies are to be gained by considering the framework established for forest monitoring for results-based-payments as an opportunity to establish an NFMS that meets a broader range of monitoring and reporting requirements. Costs incurred for remote sensing analyses or field sampling should be considered as not only an investment for REDD+, but also as a normal process of gathering relevant multifunctional national level data.
Establishment costs are once-off costs. They will depend on the methodological approach adopted and the amount of infrastructure and data already available. Operational costs are on-going or recurring costs to generate repeated REDD+ emission and removal estimates. Operational costs need to be considered during initial system design, and can be often be reduced by joint use of remote sensing and ground observations. A long-term view of costs and benefits will help avoid design decisions which are cheaper in the short-term, but which are more costly or unsustainable in the long-term.
Establishment costs
It is not easy to generalize about establishment costs, but the World Bank FCPF has estimated costs of readiness preparation activities provide an indication for the establishment of a FREL and maintenance of MRV processes. These are total budget estimates for the 10 year period, not annualized costs. The average is just over USD 4.5M (Table 20).
Costs associated with the more technical aspects of establishment can include:
- Facility rooms or laboratories within which technical work is conducted (this may use existing space) - estimated up to USD 1M
- Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System hardware and software (e.g. ~5-15 workstations depending on the geographic area, Idrisi/ENVI/ESRI type remote sensing software, ArcGIS Enterprise System) - estimated up to USD 200K. Open source freely available RS/GIS software options are also available
- Ground-based measurement equipment including vehicles, GPS, data recorders - estimated costs can exceed USD 500K.
Table 20: Estimated costs of FCPF readiness preparation activities
Readiness component | Indicative readiness preparation budget for a 10 year period (USD) | ||
Average | Min | Max | |
Reference Level | $1,435,000 | $575,000 | $3,000,000 |
MRV | $3,193,000 | $1,106,000 | $8,915,000 |
Total | $4,628,000 | ||
Notes: Figures represent average, minimum and maximum budgets across 8 countries for reference level figures and 10 countries for MRV figures. Countries from Africa, Asia and the Americas included in all estimates. |
Operational costs
Acquisition of remote sensing data can represent an establishment as well as an operational cost. Through the CEOS SDCG much useful satellite data are now available at little to no cost to the user and countries are making use of the data, mainly Landsat in developing their FREL or FRL. If necessary data can be commissioned or purchased from commercial providers for specific purposes. Costs vary widely depending on e.g. source, resolution or any available discounts for volume purchases. A country might anticipate an initial high volume data requirement during its start-up phase as it establishes a forest reference emission level and determines which data combination best suits its requirements. Because of UNFCCC biennial reporting requirements are countries are developing monitoring systems designed for at least bi-annual updates of the activity data (often based on Landsat or other freely available data) plus NFI data collection every 5 - 10 years.
Collection of ground data may be required in both the establishment and ongoing operation. Depending upon reported REDD+ activities, carbon pools included and the level of existing information, a considerable number of new field observations may be needed. If a country has an established NFI the need for additional investment will depend on the capacity of the NFI to meet the additional needs of REDD+ MRV.
Recurring costs are largely those that any operational program would encounter. In general there will be need for:
- Clerical/administrative staff
- Field-based staff for ground-based data collection
- GIS/RS specialists (includes integration of remote sensing with ground observations)
- Facility costs including rent, utilities, maintenance, and insurance
- Expert consulting and implementation costs related to any identified NFMS improvements
Staff or contractors will not necessarily need to focus on REDD+ continuously. The periodic nature of assembling information into reports may tempt countries to contract much of its routine work to technical companies/organisations rather than maintain dedicated staff, although in this case it will be important to maintain sufficient expertise within the NFMS to interact effectively with the contracted organizations, and ensure value-for-money.