According to FAO the new Methodology for Sustainable Grassland Management, created behind the need to restore degraded grasslands and to promote the introduction of agricultural livelihood systems in carbon crediting schemes, could help in removing gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere and improve resilience to climate change.

The most innovative aspect of this new methodology is that "it provides an affordable way to reliably estimate the amount of GHG emissions removed from the atmosphere through improved management of grasslands". The approach is based on the combination of the direct measurement of carbon sequestration through soil sampling and computer sequestration modeling, based on soil types and activities undertaken. This will provide reliable monitoring, which is a fundamental requirement for projects aiming at participating in carbon markets.

A pilot case study in Qinghai Province (China) is currently implemented and the project is expected to deliver significant carbon offsets for a period of 10 years.

For further information please follow this link to the original FAO website.