Read at :
http://www.new-ag.info/en/news/newsitem.php?a=2331
Sustainable grassland management encouraged in China
A pilot project in the Qinghai province of China aims to demonstrate how sustainable grassland management can protect soil and enhance productivity, resilience and herder livelihoods. Herders will select a combination of grassland restoration, zoning and stocking rate management options, designed to fit their specific land use. By breaking the cycle of overstocking and degradation, approximately 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be prevented from being released into the atmosphere over ten years .
The Three Rivers Sustainable Grazing Project also addresses some of the main barriers to smallholder access to carbon finance, including the lack of appropriate methodologies for crediting, and for cost effective monitoring, reporting and verification. A key step to accessing carbon market finance is the development of carbon accounting methodology which is affordable, but also sufficiently accurate for the carbon market. This important hurdle is close to being overcome thanks to the development of such a methodology for validation by the Verified Carbon Standard. While developed for the Qinghai project, it will be applicable to similar projects throughout the world.
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