Article:

Schlamadinger, B., Boonpragob, K., Janzen, H., Kurz, W., 
        Lasco, R., Smith, P., Collas, P., Abdalla El Siddig, E.N., Fischlin, A., 
        Matsumoto, M., Nakhutin, A., Noble, I., Pignard, G., Somogyi, Z., 
        & Zhang, X.-Q., 2003. Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance 
        Arising from the Kyoto Protocol. In: Penman, J., Gytarsky, M., Hiraishi, T., 
        Krug, T., Kruger, D., Pipatti, R., Buendia, L., Miwa, K., Ngara, T., Tanabe, K. 
        & Wagner, F. (eds.), Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change 
        and Forestry. ISBN 4-88788-003-0. Published by the Institute for Global Environmental 
        Strategies (IGES) for the IPCC (Intergovernmenal Panel on Climate Change).
        Available from IPCC Secretariat or NGGIP (Also 
        available on CD ROM), pp. 4.1-4.86.

Abstract:

Signatory countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) use the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (IPCC Guidelines, where IPCC stands for Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks for international reporting purposes. The Parties to the UNFCCC have now asked the IPCC to produce Good Practice Guidance to supplement the IPCC Guidelines in the Sector of Land use, Land-use Change and Forestry. Inventories consistent with good practice are those which contain neither over- nor under-estimates so far as can be judged, and in which uncertainties are reduced so far as is practicable. JOANNEUM RESEARCH is responsible for coordinating chapter 4 of this IPCC work, entitled ÇSupplementary methods and good practice guidance arising from the Kyoto ProtocolÈ. The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty under the UNFCCC which limits the emissions of greenhouses by industrialized countries. Such emissions are widely believed to cause changes in the global climate system.

The objective of this IPCC work is to elaborate methods and develop good practice guidance to estimate, measure, monitor and report changes in carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions for land use activities that are eligible for crediting under the Kyoto Protocol. These activities are: afforestation, reforestation, deforestation, forest management, cropland management, grazing land management, revegetation, and certain project activities in developing countries. Focus of the IPCC activities is on temporal and spatial boundaries, identification of areas subject to these activities, estimation of carbon stock changes on these areas, avoidance of double counting, and recommendation of sampling strategies.

This report on Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF) is the response to the invitation by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to develop good practice guidance for land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). GPG-LULUCF provides supplementary methods and good practice guidance for estimating, measuring, monitoring and reporting on carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions from LULUCF activities under Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 4, and Articles 6 and 12 of the Kyoto Protocol.

The GPG-LULUCF assists countries in producing inventories for the land use, land-use change and forestry sector that are neither over- nor underestimates so far as can be judged, and in which uncertainties are reduced as far as practicable. It supports the development of inventories that are transparent, documented, consistent over time, complete, comparable, assessed for uncertainties, subject to quality control and quality assurance, and efficient in the use of resources.

The GPG-LULUCF is consistent with the existing good practice guidance for the other sector and addresses:

• Choice of estimation method within the context of the IPCC Guidelines;
• Quality assurance and quality control procedures to provide cross-checks during the inventory compilation;
• Data and information to be documented, archived and reported to facilitate review and assessment of inventory estimates;
• Quantification of uncertainties at the source or sink category level and for the inventory as a whole, so that resources available can be directed toward reducing uncertainties over time, and the improvement can be tracked.

In addition, GPG-LULUCF provides guidance related to the specific features of the LULUCF sector on consistent representation of land areas, sampling for area estimates and for estimating emissions and removals, verification, and guidance on how to complement the Convention reporting for the LULUCF sector to meet the supplementary requirements under the Kyoto Protocol.

The development of good practice guidance for LULUCF sector is a step in the IPCCs on-going programme of inventory development and will also support future revisions of the IPCC Guidelines themselves.

This report was adopted/accepted by the IPCC Plenary at its 21st session held in Vienna, 3-7 November, 2003.