Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Resource Economics

CARB-ASIA

Development of methods for organic carbon stock assessment and improvement of climate change reporting on agricultural ecosystems in Kyrgyzstan

Start: 2018
End: 2020
 

In close cooperation and coordination with the national authorities, UNDP, GIZ Bishkek, as well as NGOs and universities in the target country Kyrgyzstan, a method for assessing the carbon storage of soils in various categories of land use will be developed that is scientifically sound and adapted to international standards. This will be are an important milestone for the inventory of activity data for climate change reporting and contribute to the Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) system in Kyrgyzstan.

Taking into account the project results, hot spots of carbon storage, such as pastures at higher altitudes, pastures on floodplain soils and moors in the valleys, arable land in the fertile valley areas and forest soils, as well as their endangerment will be detected and adapted sustainable land use strategies can then be developed which contribute to the protection and increase of carbon stocks in the soils. Furthermore, the organizational and institutional framework conditions for transparent and comprehensible emission reporting and inventory will be proposed.

In order to increase awareness by land users and decision-makers in Kyrgyzstan, the project results will be presented at the local and national level and, together with experts and land users, the recommendations for the National Strategy for the Protection of Ecosystems with High Potential for Greenhouse Gas Storage in Kyrgyzstan will be discussed and elaborated.

Local experts will be trained on the use of the new method and recommendations will be developed for the regulatory responsibilities anchored in administrative regulations so that the emissions reporting can be updated. The project results will be published digitally and analogue in the form of a handbook in Russian, Kyrgyz and English.

 

Researcher: Anastasia Gotgelf, Dr. Ulan Kasymov

 

Lead Subproject: Prof. Dr. Klaus Eisenack

 

Lead Overall Project: Prof. Dr. Jutta Zeitz

 

Funding: GIZ/BMUB


Central Achievements: 

  • The method for organic carbon stock assessment is applied and the data collected is evaluated. The method is discussed with the stakeholders and multipliers. Their feedback is incorporated in the methodology.
  • Stakeholder workshops and discussions are organized and their expertise is taken into account in developing recommendations for the method formalization and implementation. Kyrgyz experts and students are trained to apply the method.
  • The institutional framework is analysed, and recommendations for the institutionalisation of the method are developed. The policy makers are informed and motivated to implement the recommendations.
  • The project results are published in a manual in English and Russian languages that can be directly used by national stakeholders and as a guiding material for scientific publications and further multiplications of the project’s insights.