Introduction to the Lecture

Ecosystem carbon sink has drawn extensive attention from the whole society due to its great significance for the country to implement the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” strategy, realize the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals and fulfill the nationally determined goal of the Paris Agreement. The methods issued by the state for the first time when voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction trading in China was restarted included two ecosystem types, namely "Afforestation Carbon Sink" and "Mangrove Vegetation Creation”, fully reflecting the great importance attached by the state to the carbon trading market and the expectation of the whole society to ecosystem carbon trading. Based on years of expert research and practice, this lecture mainly introduces the concept of ecosystem carbon sink, the methods of carbon measurement and monitoring, and the challenges faced.

Profile of the Speaker

Zhang Xiaoquan, Ph.D. in Ecology, is currently Chief Science Officer of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China Program. Formerly he worked as a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the Chief Expert of the Panel of Climate Change and Forestry. He has spearheaded the compilation of the first greenhouse gas inventory of land use change and forestry in China, drafted the world's first "CDM Methodology for Reforestation of Degraded Land" and the sixth "CDM Methodology for Afforestation and Reforestation of Degraded Land Assisted by Shrubs" approved by the CDM Executive Board, and developed the world's first CDM afforestation and reforestation project "Guangxi Pearl River Basin Management and Reforestation Project" and other CDM afforestation and reforestation projects in China and India. Dr. Zhang has led and deeply participated in the development of methodologies of several forestry carbon sequestration projects approved by the National Development and Reform Commission for China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER), such as the methodology of bamboo afforestation carbon sequestration project, the methodology of small-scale non-coal mining area ecological restoration, and the methodology of forest management carbon sequestration project, etc. Dr. Zhang has also developed a number of CCER afforestation, forest management and ecological restoration projects in mining areas. He has also participated in the compilation of CCER afforestation carbon sink project methodology and mangrove afforestation methodology newly released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and led the methodology compilation and carbon measurement of afforestation and protected land in Ant Forest. As a member of the Afforestation and Reforestation Working Group of the CDM Executive Board (2006~2015), Dr. Zhang led and deeply participated in the integration and revision of CDM afforestation and reforestation project methodology and the drafting of methodological tools and guidelines. As an expert in greenhouse gas emission inventory review in developed countries (2004-2015) and coordinator of expert group (2009-2015), Dr. Zhang participated in the annual review of greenhouse gas inventories in nearly 40 countries. He is also an expert in CDM afforestation and reforestation methodology review (2005~). Dr. Zhang has participated, as a main author, in the compilation of several IPCC methodology and technical reports, such as the IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF), the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and the 2013 IPCC Inventory Guideline Supplement, and participated in the drafting of VCS agriculture, forestry and other land-use standards. Dr. Zhang used to be a member of the editorial board of the IPCC greenhouse gas inventory database. He has published more than 140 academic papers in important academic journals at home and abroad, and edited (co-authored) 11 monographs.