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Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

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Inpang carbon bank in northeast Thailand: a community effort in carbon trading from agroforestry projects

Carbon (C) is a new commodity that is now traded in financial markets and there is potential for farmers adopting agroforestry to sell C in addition to traditional timber and non-timber agroforestry commodities. Implementing agroforestry C offset projects is a challenging task, however, and it requires new, market-approved, C accounting methods that reduce transaction costs. This paper describes the Inpang Carbon Bank project in Northeast Thailand developed through collaboration between the Inpang Community Network, scientists at the Department of Forestry, Michigan State University (USA), Mahasarakham University (Thailand), and colleagues at the National Research Council of Thailand. Under this project a new protocol has been developed, which is in review by the Chicago Climate Exchange, besides an on-line C offset monitoring, verification, and reporting management system, called Carbon2Markets. A cost recovery analysis for the Inpang Carbon Bank smallholder teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) offset project shows that C would have to be sold at a value not less than US$1.66 per Mg CO2.