ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of standards applicable to forest-based carbon projects. Paragraph 8.1 introduces the concept of carbon offsetting and the markets for trading of carbon offsets: compliance, voluntary and domestic markets. Paragraph 8.2 focuses on the need for rules and regulation in the voluntary carbon market, presenting its functioning and the infrastructure created to ensure quality and transparency, such as carbon standards, registries, quality programs for offset provided and carbon footprint standards. Forest-based carbon projects are described in paragraph 8.3, which also presents their applicability under the different carbon markets, the key elements (baseline, leakage permanence, additionality, co-benefits and double counting) and the methodologies. The last paragraph (paragraph 8.4) provides an excursus on forest carbon standards. Particular attention is paid to VCS, the CCB Standard, the Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, ACR and the UK Woodland Carbon Code.
