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This is a summary of the carbon assessment of the Capuchin Corridor and the Camarones River Basin in coastal Ecuador, using two different methodologies. The first is the conventional methodology known as REDD+, the acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. The second is a new methodology called the Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL).

FCL is a methodology we developed in response to many of the defects we encountered with REDD+ during the measurement and estimation process. For an in-depth comparison of these two methodologies, check out Comparing the Forest Carbon Ledger to REDD+: Using the Capuchin Corridor in Ecuador as a case study. For a deeper understanding of how the FCL works, and why it was created, refer to Flipping REDD+ on Its Head: The Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL) is a new valuation method.

Brief Explanation of the Project Areas

The Capuchin Corridor spans a 43-kilometer mountain range that runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean. This corridor is home to one of the last major remnants of Ecuador’s Pacific Forest—an ecosystem that has already lost 98% of its native forest over the course of the last century.

The Capuchin Corridor contains a wide range of distinct tropical forest types, including cloud forest, moist evergreen forest, tropical dry forest, semi-deciduous forest, and a small remnant of primary-growth wet forest at the top of Cerro Pata de Pájaro. It also contains a patchwork of agricultural land that has been eating away at the forest for the last century.

In its entirety, the Capuchin Corridor is 40,000 hectares. The carbon estimates in this report analyze 37,000 hectares.

The Camarones River Basin occupies 2,980 hectares in the heart of the Capuchin Corridor and is the site of the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve—TMA’s flagship project. It’s also the place where TMA pilots its projects before expanding out into the rest of the Capuchin Corridor.

Map of Bosque Protector and Cerro Pata de Pajaro in context of Capuchin CorridorBrief Explanation of the Numbers

There are three sets of measurements involved in assessing the CO2 benefits of a given forest: land cover, biomass inventory, and the final estimate of net CO2 benefits. Below is a summary of each set of calculations, starting from the conclusion.

Annual CO2 Benefit (Summary)

Annual CO2 benefit of the Capuchin Corridor and the Camarones River Basin are calculated using the following variables:

  • Different carbon accounting methodologies: Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL) vs REDD+
  • Different carbon pools: all carbon pools (ie., total carbon stock) vs above-ground biomass (AGB)
  • Different project scope: entire project area vs only the areas in which direct intervention will take place

Table 1A. Annual CO2 benefit using FCL vs REDD+

Methodology Capuchin Corridor Camarones Watershed
Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon
Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL)
Annual CO2 benefit (tons) 199,768 110,260 20,718 11,655
Annual value at $25/ton $4,994,200 $2,756,500 $517,950 $291,375
REDD+
Annual CO2 benefit (tons) 188,207 140,485 14,261 10,654
Annual value at $25/ton $4,705,175 $3,512,125 $356,525 $266,350

Notes:

  • Measured in metric tons of CO2 per year (Mg CO2 yr-1)
  • Total carbon stock includes carbon from above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, necromass, and soil organic carbon.
  • “AGB” refers to carbon from above-ground biomass only.
  • Land cover assessment provided by The Landscapes & Livelihoods Group (TLLG)
  • Takes into account the entire project areas.
  • All monetary values are in USD$

Table 1B. Annual CO2 benefit according to project scope

Project Scope Capuchin Corridor Camarones Watershed
Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon
Entire Project Area
Annual CO2 benefit (tons) 199,768 110,260 20,718 11,655
Annual value at $25/ton $4,994,200 $2,756,500 $517,950 $291,375
Direct Intervention Area
Annual CO2 benefit (tons) 78,256 44,471 16,701 9,424
Annual value at $25/ton $1,956,405 $1,111,785 $417,519 $235,608

Notes:

  • Measured in metric tons of CO2 per year (Mg CO2 yr-1)
  • Land cover assessment by The Landscapes & Livelihoods Group (TLLG)
  • Uses FCL for carbon accounting

Table 1C. Annual CO2 benefit per hectare 

Methodology Capuchin Corridor Camarones Watershed
Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon
Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL)
Annual CO2 per ha. of forest (tons) 9.4 5.2 9.7 5.5
Annual value per ha of forest @ $25/ton $235 $130 $243 $137
REDD+
Annual CO2 per ha. of forest (tons) 8.9 6.6 6.7 5.0
Annual value per ha of forest @ $25/ton $222 $166 $168 $125

Notes:

  • Land cover assessment by The Landscapes & Livelihoods Group (TLLG)
  • Takes into account the entire project areas

Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL)

The FCL is an annual ledger that tracks the carbon stock of a forest year-over-year. Below are the FCL estimates that measure carbon from above-ground biomass at the present point in time. As stated above, a detailed account of FCL calculations in the Capuchin Corridor can be found in the case study. For a comprehensive explanation of how FCL works, and why it is more reliable than REDD+, refer to Flipping REDD+ on Its Head: The Forest Carbon Ledger (FCL) is a new valuation method.

Table 2A. FCL estimate of the Capuchin Corridor (above-ground carbon, year 0)

Land Class Area (ha) Mg C/ha) Mg C) Mg CO2) Mg CO2 @ 1/50
Mature Evergreen Forest 6,172 116.8 720,797 2,645,325 52,907
Secondary Evergreen Forest 10,146 66.3 672,680 2,468,735 49,375
Mature Wet Forest (Pata de Pájaro) 380 148.0 56,240 206,401 4,128
Dry Forest & Semi-Deciduous Forest 4,516 70.3 317,552 1,165,417 23,308
Total Forest Area 21,214 83.3 1,767,269 6,485,878 129,718
15% risk buffer & leakage discount 19,458
FCL annual CO2 storage (tons) 110,260
FCL annual value @ $25/ton $2,756,498

Table 2B. FCL estimate of the Camarones River Basin (above-ground carbon, year 0)

Land Class Area (ha) Mg C/ha) Mg C) Mg CO2) Mg CO2 @ 1/50
Mature Evergreen Forest 878 116.8 102,572 376,440 7,529
Secondary Evergreen Forest 897 66.3 59,484 218,308 4,366
Mature Wet Forest (Pata de Pájaro) 0 148.0 0 0 0
Dry Forest & Semi-Deciduous Forest 352 70.3 24,745 90,813 1,816
Total Forest Area 2,127 156.1 186,801 685,561 13,711
15% risk buffer & leakage discount 2,057
FCL annual CO2 storage (tons) 11,655
FCL annual value @ $25/ton $291,363

Notes to tables 2A and 2B:

  • Assumes a risk buffer & leakage discount of 15%.

The summaries for FCL calculations of Total Carbon Stock and the Direct Intervention Area can be found in Table 1B. For the complete calculations, refer to our database Carbon Stock of the Capuchin Corridor.

REDD+ Estimate

The following REDD+ carbon estimation was performed by The Landscapes & Livelihoods Group (TLLG), a carbon project developer and monitoring specialist accredited by Plan Vivo, a carbon offset standard with a strong emphasis on empowering rural communities.

REDD+ is a methodology for valuing the CO2 benefit of a forest. It does this by estimating how much CO2 would be released into the atmosphere from the cutting and/or burning of trees in a hypothetical “business-as-usual” scenario. It then compares this number to the amount of CO2 that would presumably be released into the atmosphere in a “project scenario,” in which actions are taken to prevent the cutting and/or burning. The difference between these two numbers = net carbon benefit.

The measurements below take into account the entire project areas and assume a risk buffer & leakage discount of 15% and an effectiveness rate of 75%.

Table 3A. Annual CO2 benefit (REDD+)

REDD+ Estimation Capuchin Corridor Camarones Watershed
Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon
Baseline scenario emissions from deforestation and forest degradation expected during the project period 295,227 220,369 22,370 16,711
Expected project scenario emissions from deforestation and forest degradation expected during the project period 73,807 55,092 5,593 4,178
Non-permanence risk buffer & leakage emissions expected to result from displacement of deforestation and degradation during the project period 33,213 24,792 2,517 1,880
Climate benefits expected to result from reduced deforestation and forest degradation as result of project activities during the project period 188,207 140,485 14,261 10,654
Annual Co2 value @ $25/ton $4,705,179 $3,512,131 $356,523 $266,338

The baseline numbers in the table above are informed by projections of annual deforestation and degradation rates in the future—in this case, over a five-year period of the future. These deforestation rates are extrapolated from historic deforestation rates in the same area as well as adjacent areas that are judged to be comparable in terms of topography, demographics, road access, economic pressures, political conditions, etc. It’s a subjective estimate.

Table 3B. Deforestation/Forest Degradation Projections

Baseline Projections Forest Class Capuchin Corridor
Camarones River Basin
Hectares of deforestation avoided per year (projected)
Mature Evergreen 104 7.7
Secondary Evergreen 202 14.9
Mature Wet Forest 0 0
Dry & Semi-Deciduous Forest 136 10.9
Total hectares 442 33.5
Annual deforestation rate 2.08% 1.57%
Hectares of degradation avoided per year (projected)
Mature Evergreen 47 4
Secondary Evergreen 0 0
Mature Wet Forest 0 0
Dry & Semi-Deciduous Forest 37 2.8
Total hectares 84 6.8
Annual degradation rate 0.40% 0.32%

Land Cover Assessment

A land cover assessment is the first step toward quantifying the carbon value of a forest. This requires breaking the forest down into its various different land classes, which (ideally) can each be distinguished by aerial imagery paired with machine learning algorithms. We contracted two different specialists to perform land cover assessments of both areas.

The first analyst, Sake Alkema, worked at IUCN-Netherlands at the time; now he’s a remote sensing specialist for the global nature tech company Satelligence. The second remote sensing specialist was the Plan Vivo-accredited carbon project developer The Landscapes and Livelihoods Group (TLLG).

To assist in this process, we helped train the latter’s algorithm by recording ground data at 211 different points throughout the project area. Below are the results from both land cover assessments.

Table 4A. Land cover assessment by Sake Alkema / IUCN-NL (2018)

Capuchin Corridor Camarones River Basin
Land Class Area (ha) % of total land Area (ha) % of total land
Evergreen Forest 15,622 42% 1,985 67%
—Secondary Moist Forest 10,935 30% 1,143 38%
—Mature Moist Forest 3,515 9% 548 18%
—Cloud Forest 1,172 3% 295 10%
Dry Forest & Semi-Deciduous Forest 8,989 24% 540 18%
—Dry Forest 989 3% 49 2%
—Secondary Semi-Deciduous Forest 7,192 19% 432 15%
—Mature Semi-Deciduous Forest 809 2% 59 2%
Agriculture 11,380 31% 342 11%
Other (Residential/Water) 1,032 3% 113 4%
Total Land Area 37,024 2,981
Total Forest Area 24,611 66% 2,525 85%

Table 4B. Land cover assessment by TLLG (2022)

Capuchin Corridor Camarones River Basin
Land Class Area (ha) % of total land Area (ha) % of total land
Mature Evergreen Forest 6,172 17% 878 29%
Secondary Evergreen Forest 10,146 27% 897 30%
Mature Wet Forest (Pata de Pájaro) 380 1% 0 0%
Dry Forest & Semi-Deciduous Forest 4,516 12% 352 12%
Agriculture 14,037 38% 741 25%
Other (Residential/Water) 1,769 5% 113 4%
Total Land Area 37,020 2,981
Total Forest Area 21,214 57% 2,127 71%
Land cover map of the Capuchin Corridor

Land cover map of the Capuchin Corridor prepared by The Landscapes & Livelihoods Group (TLLG).

Biomass Inventories & Carbon Density

To estimate the initial carbon stock of the forest, we conducted several biomass inventories in the Capuchin Corridor, most notably in partnership with the Universidad Técnica de Manabí. Then we compared their results to each other and to other biomass inventories in nearby areas or comparable regions. The results were consistent across all biomass inventories. From these results, we took the averages for each forest class.

Below is a summary of the carbon densities of each major land class. To explore the results in greater detail, including biomass results for each sub-class, refer to Biomass Inventory of the Capuchin Corridor.

Table 5. Average carbon density per hectare 

Major Land Cover Class Total Carbon Stock AGB Carbon
Mature Evergreen Forest 190.8 116.8
Secondary Evergreen Forest 130.3 66.3
Mature Wet Forest (Pata de Pájaro) 241.6 148
Dry Forest & Semi-Deciduous Forest 135.1 70.3
Degraded Dry/Semi-Deciduous Forest 80.1 40.8

Notes:

  • Measured in metric tons of carbon per hectare (Mg C/ha)
  • Total carbon stock includes carbon from above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, necromass, and soil organic carbon.
  • “AGB” refers to carbon from above-ground biomass only.
Inside the mature wet forest of Cerro Pata de Pájaro, in the northern range of the Capuchin Corridor.

Mature wet forest of Cerro Pata de Pájaro.

Conclusion

For reasons amply explained in the case study and FCL white paper, we believe that FCL is preferable to REDD+ as a methodology for estimating the CO2 benefit of the Capuchin Corridor and Camarones River Basin.

To be conservative, we’ve chosen to limit our carbon inventory to above-ground biomass (AGB), rather than use total carbon stock. AGB is the most straightforward carbon pool to measure and it is, by far, the most responsive to forest loss/gain. The numbers below refer to the entire project areas.

CO2 Valuation (FCL)
Above-ground carbon (AGB)
Capuchin Corridor Camarones River Basin
Annual CO2 benefit 110,260 tons 11,655 tons
Annual CO2 per hectare of forest 5.2 tons 5.5 ton
Annual CO2 value at $25/ton $2,756,500 $291,375