Synopsis report: South African carbon sink assessment
This assessment focuses on the magnitude and nature of terrestrial carbon stocks across South Africa
Abstract
The South African National Carbon Sink Assessment provided an unprecedented opportunity to explore the nature of terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes at a national scale and to evaluate all climate change mitigation opportunities within the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector. Work had previously been done on carbon stocks and fluxes, in particular biomes, as well as climate change mitigation activities at a project scale in certain locations, however a comprehensive analysis at a national scale had been lacking and certainly needed.
The report was commissioned by South Africa’s National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) with funding kindly provided by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).
The South African National Carbon Sink Assessment is comprised of three
principle sections.
Section 1 of the Assessment focuses on the
magnitude and nature of terrestrial carbon stocks across South Africa
and how they may change in future due to the influence of changes in
land-use, climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Section 2 is aimed at assessing the size and
nature of climate change mitigation opportunities.
Lastly, Section 3 reviews the interaction between policy and
terrestrial carbon in South Africa, both in terms of the potential
influence of existing policy on carbon stocks
as well as how policy may be amended to support
activities that lead to a net reduction in atmospheric greenhouse gases
(GHGs).
This synopsis report presents the rationale and approach, methodology in brief, key results in brief and provides syntheses of key emerging outcomes and potential next steps. An abstract summary is also available.
This report has been produced by The Cirrus Group for Evidence on Demand with the assistance of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) contracted through the Climate, Environment, Infrastructure and Livelihoods Professional Evidence and Applied Knowledge Services (CEIL PEAKS) programme, jointly managed by DAI (which incorporates HTSPE Limited) and IMC Worldwide Limited.
Citation
Cirrus Group. Synopsis report: South African carbon sink assessment. Evidence on Demand, UK (2014) vi + 42 pp. [DOI: 10.12774/eod_cr.september2014.cirrusgroup]
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