我国完善造林碳汇和红树林营造方法学China's improvement of afforestation carbon sinks and mangrove restoration methodologies

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, has released two revised methodologies for voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction projects: "Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Project Methodology: Afforestation Carbon Sink (CCER-14-001-V02)" and "Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Project Methodology: Mangrove Creation (CCER-14-002-V02)." These two methodologies provide clearer technical guidance for the design, approval, monitoring, and verification of projects that convert forest ecosystems and coastal ecosystems into carbon sink resources.

The national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market is an important policy tool for actively responding to climate change and accelerating a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. The specific supported areas are identified through the publication of voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction project methodologies. Li Gao, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, stated that as of the end of the third week of October, 44 projects with more than 25 million tons of emission reductions have been registered in the voluntary emission reduction trading market, with a transaction volume exceeding 24 million tons and a transaction value approaching 2 billion yuan.

According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as of now, the Ministry, together with relevant departments, has issued 18 methodologies, including those supporting the development of renewable energy such as solar thermal power generation, offshore wind power, and renewable hydrogen production, as well as methodologies promoting the transformation of ecological value, such as afforestation carbon sinks and mangrove restoration. Three more methodologies, including forest management, will be released soon. Additionally, 11 methodologies are currently open for public comment, covering key areas such as green methanol, green ammonia, biodiesel, energy storage, and carbon sinks.

The institutional system for realizing the value of carbon sinks is accelerating its formation. The 15th Five-Year Plan outline clearly states the need to 'increase ecosystem carbon sink increments' and 'improve the carbon sink monitoring and accounting system'; the '15th Five-Year Carbon Peak Action Plan' further requires 'consolidating and enhancing ecosystem carbon sink capacity'; and the 'Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China' mandates the establishment and improvement of the national ecosystem carbon sink monitoring and accounting system.

Afforestation carbon sink methodologies are applicable to the afforestation of trees, bamboo, and shrubs. Afforestation carbon sinks are the main source of carbon sinks in China's terrestrial ecosystems. Public data show that China's forests and grasslands can sequester up to 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. Zhu Jianhua, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the lead compiler of the revised afforestation carbon sink methodology, pointed out that after the launch of the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market, the number of afforestation carbon sink projects publicly listed online has already exceeded 110. However, only a few projects have actually completed the verification and registration process, and none of the forestry carbon sink projects have completed emission reduction registration. The revised methodology systematically addresses bottlenecks and difficulties encountered in project development over the past two years by 'loosening' applicability conditions, 'increasing carbon sinks' through wood and bamboo products, giving 'benefits' by lowering deduction rates, and 'reducing costs' by using default values for measurement.

The mangrove restoration methodology is applicable to mangrove restoration projects that meet the criteria. In October 2023, mangrove restoration was released as one of the first four methodologies, officially integrating mangrove carbon sinks into the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market. In March 2026, the mangrove CCER project in Xiapu County, Fujian Province, completed registration, becoming the first CCER-registered project in China's marine sector. Currently, no mangrove restoration project has completed emission reduction trading; insufficient market awareness, limited project development experience, and high development costs are the main bottlenecks.

Chen Guangcheng, a researcher at the Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, and lead author of the revised mangrove restoration methodology, stated that the aim of this revision is to reduce the difficulty of implementation and improve project benefits and development efficiency. It is expected that more mangrove restoration projects will apply for registration, and the resulting emission reductions are expected to enter the national voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading market. From a systemic perspective, the two revisions standardize development criteria, clarify the property rights revenue mechanism, and improve the regulatory system, which will effectively activate the resource value of forestry and marine carbon sinks.

[Source: China Energy News]

[Editor: Xiao Neng]