Appendix 4: Voluntary Carbon Standard

The Voluntary Carbon Standard is the first International Voluntary Carbon Standard. It has been developed by The Climate Group, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the World Council for Sustainable Development. (http://www.v-c-s.org/)

It provides the standards and framework for independent validation and verification of GHG emission reductions and removals based on ISO 14064-2 2006 and ISO 14064-3 2006. It covers all those activities related to the generation of GHG emission reductions and removals.

It aims to standardize and provide transparency and credibility to the Voluntary Carbon market by establishing a rigorous, global standard.

The VCS will include Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) in the list of eligible project activities. Specifically, Agricultural Land Management is included (ALM).

Three broad categories of activities are included:

a. Improved cropland management
b. Improved grassland management
c. Cropland and grassland –use conversion.

Other areas may be included in the future.

Improved cropland management practices include, but are not restricted to:

• No till, no bare fallows, use of cover crop, conversion from annual to perennial crops and creation of buffers – for example wind or water buffers.

• More targeted use of N fertilisers, and use of other fertilisers with lower Nitrous Oxide emissions.

• Improved grassland management practices include, but are not restricted to:
• Increasing forage productivity, deep rooted grazing plants, reducing overgrazing, reducing burning, and reducing methane by keeping grasslands in a healthy state.

• Cropland to grassland conversion can increase soil C by increasing below ground C inputs and elimination of soil disturbance.

The above also forms the basis of Carbon Farming under the proposed Carbon Farmers of Australia Trading scheme, so the Standards can develop in tandem.