Except for the Sutrofor students, access to this module is possible only after attending the module "Tropical forests and climate change".

Course objectives

Land-use change in the tropics is responsible for 20% of human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Tropical forests and tree plantations may be important carbon sinks and provide biomass fuel as a substitute to fossil energy, while reduction of deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) may significantly reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions. Commitment markets within the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as well as voluntary markets provide opportunities for stimulating forestry activities in the tropics. The course provides basic training in implementing a forestry project for mitigation of climate change, in analysing a topical issue related to global change, or in establishing the GHG budget of a firm or a public institution.

Course contents

Students in working groups are proposed to build a sequestration/mitigation project idea note (PIN) from a real case study within the CDM or volunteer standard frameworks, or the GHG balance of their campus, or a review of a hot topical issue on global change.

Teaching and learning methods

Practical group exercise (24 hours)

Examination

Written report and oral defence of the group project

Competences acquired

Students get understanding of biophysical and human factors controlling interactions between tropical forests and climate change and institutional mechanisms involving land use developed to mitigate climate change, and acquire methods for building the GHG budget of a system. They become aware of principles guiding forestry projects for the mitigation of climate change and of the problems they raise.