6 March 2009: Two reports from recent Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) Working Group meetings have been released. The first is the
report from the 23rd meeting of the CDM Afforestation and Reforestation
(A/R) Working Group, which took place from 25-27 February 2009. The
second report is that of the 19th meeting of the CDM Small Scale (SSC)
Working Group, which took place from 24-27 February 2009.

The A/R Working Group report contains a summary of the Group’s
consideration of proposed new A/R methodologies and recommendations for
consideration by the CDM Executive Board on rubber outgrowing and
carbon sequestration in Ghana, and afforestation or reforestation of
degraded land without displacement of pre-project activities. The A/R
Group also considered clarifications and revisions of approved
methodologies regarding: greenhouse gas emissions from removal of
herbaceous vegetation; A/R of degraded land; and simplified baseline
and monitoring methodology for small-scale A/R project activities under
the CDM implemented on lands having low inherent potential to support
living biomass. Other recommendations formulated by the A/R Group
concern: a draft guidance on conditions under which the change in
carbon stocks in existing live woody vegetation can be considered
insignificant and shall be accounted as zero; draft guidelines on
conservative choice of default data for estimation of biomass stocks
and change in woody vegetation; a draft tool for the estimation of
changes in carbon stocks of existing trees and shrubs within the
boundary of an A/R CDM project activity; and a revision to the approved
A/R methodological tool “Calculation of the number of sample plots for
measurements within A/R CDM project activities.” The A/R Working Group
agreed to hold its 24th meeting from 29 April-1 May 2009.
The
report of the SSC Working Group reviews the Group’s consideration of
submissions requesting revisions to, or clarifications of, approved SSC
methodologies as well as requests for creation of new methodologies.
The SSC Group agreed to hold its 20th meeting from 29 April-2 May 2009,
and indicated that the deadline for new methodology submissions to this
meeting is 3 March 2009 and the deadline for submitting requests for
clarifications/revisions for this meeting is 17 March 2009. [The SSC Report] [The A/R Report]