Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero

The study finds that while forest fires are a threat, the VCS Program's pooled buffer account is adequately capitalized to guarantee credit permanence. Analysis of six REDD+ projects shows that some, such as the Katingan Peatland Restoration Project, generate fire-mitigation co-benefits through advanced management practices, while others do not. Only one reversal was identified across 190 AFOLU projects, which was fully compensated by the buffer pool.

• The VCS Program's pooled buffer account is sufficiently robust to guarantee the permanence of issued credits, as total historic cancellations to compensate for reversals represent only 0.08% of current reserves as of July 2022.
• Among the six studied NCS projects, only one experienced a loss event (the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project), but it did not result in a reversal because the project replaced the lost carbon stocks and generated additional emission reductions during the verification period.
• A reversal was identified in one of 190 AFOLU projects—the TIST Program in Kenya—where landowners harvested trees for timber, resulting in a reversal of 48,838 tCO2e that was fully compensated by cancelling buffer credits.
• The Katingan Peatland Restoration Project (ID 1477) in Indonesia demonstrated significant fire-mitigation co-benefits, experiencing fewer fires and a lower percentage of tree cover loss compared to its matched protected area comparators.
• The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project (ID 674) did not generate excess fire-mitigation co-benefits, as it experienced a higher normalized fire count per square kilometre and higher tree cover loss than its comparison areas.
• In Brazil and Peru, the study could not determine if projects generated excess fire mitigation because most project and comparison areas lacked statistically significant correlations between fire and tree cover loss.
• Effective fire management practices identified in high-performing projects include the use of fire-break plantations, peatland rewetting, drones for observation, early warning systems, and the allocation of over 40% of the annual operational budget to fire management.
• In certain regions, such as the RESEX Rio Preto-Jacundá REDD+ Project in Brazil, deforestation often precedes fire due to 'forest edging,' where loggers clear trees to access stands before setting burns to clear litter.

APA

Finsie, L., Borden, M., & Bailis, R. (2023). Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sei2023.049-fire-mitigation-net-zero.pdf

Chicago

Finsie, Leah, Matthew Borden, and Rob Bailis. Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sei2023.049-fire-mitigation-net-zero.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Finsie |first1=Leah |last2=Borden |first2=Matthew |last3=Bailis |first3=Rob |title=Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sei2023.049-fire-mitigation-net-zero.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{finsie2023natural, author = {Finsie, Leah and Borden, Matthew and Bailis, Rob}, title = {{Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/sei2023.049-fire-mitigation-net-zero.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }