Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

CHAPTER 3

CONSISTENT REPRESENTATION OF
LANDS

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

3.1

Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

Authors
Kathryn Bickel (USA) and Gary Richards (Australia)
Michael Köhl (Germany) and Ricardo Leonardo Vianna Rodrigues (Brazil)

Contributing Author
Goran Stahl (Sweden)

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Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Contents
3

Consistent Representation of Lands
3.1

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3.5

3.2

Land-use categories ............................................................................................................................... 3.5

3.3

Representing land-use areas .................................................................................................................. 3.8

3.3.1

Three Approaches........................................................................................................................ 3.10

Approach 1: Total land-use area, no data on conversions between land uses .......................................... 3.10
Approach 2: Total land-use area, including changes between categories ................................................ 3.12
Approach 3: Spatially-explicit land-use conversion data......................................................................... 3.13
3.3.2

Using the data .............................................................................................................................. 3.13

3.3.2.1

Stratification of land-use data ................................................................................................ 3.16

3.3.2.2

Preparing area data for emissions and removals estimation .................................................. 3.18

3.4

Matching land areas with factors for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and removals ................. 3.18

3.5

Uncertainties associated with the Approaches .................................................................................... 3.19

Annex 3A.1

Examples of international land cover dataset ............................................................................. 3.21

Annex 3A.2

Development of land-use databases ............................................................................................ 3.25

Annex 3A.3

Sampling...................................................................................................................................... 3.30

Annex 3A.4

Overview of potential methods for developing Approach 3 datasets .......................................... 3.35

Annex 3A.5

Default climate and soil classifications ....................................................................................... 3.37

References..................................................................................................................................................... 3.42

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

FiguresFigure 3.1

Decision tree for preparation of land-use area data ............................................................. 3.17

Figure 3A.3.1 Principle of sampling ........................................................................................................... 3.30
Figure 3A.3.2 Simple random layout of plots (left) and systematic layout (right) ..................................... 3.32
Figure 3A.3.3 Use of different configurations of permanent and temporary sampling units
for estimating changes ......................................................................................................... 3.32
Figure 3A.4.1 Overview of Approach 3: Direct and repeated assessments of land use fromfull spatial coverage ............................................................................................................. 3.35
Figure 3A.5.1 Delineation of major climate zones, updated from the 1996 IPCC Guidelines. .................. 3.38
Figure 3A.5.2 Classification scheme for default climate regions. The classification is based onelevation, mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP),
mean annual precipitation:potential evapotransporation ratio (PET:MAP),and frost
occurrence. .......................................................................................................................... 3.39
Figure 3A.5.3 Classification scheme for mineral soil types based on USDA taxonomy ............................ 3.40
Figure 3A.5.4 Classification scheme for mineral soil types based on World Reference Base for Soil
Resources (WRB) classification. ......................................................................................... 3.41

Tables

3.4

Table 3.1

Example stratifications with supporting data for Tier 1 emissions estimation methods ........ 3.8

Table 3.2

Example of Approach 1: Available land use data with complete national coverage ........ 3.11

Table 3.3

Illustrative example of stratification of data for Approach 1 .............................................. 3.12

Table 3.4

Illustrative example of tabulating all land-use conversion for Approach 2 including
nationally defined Strata ...................................................................................................... 3.14

Table 3.5

Illustrative example of Approach 2 data in a land-use conversion matrix with category
stratification ......................................................................................................................... 3.15

Table 3.6

Simplified land-use conversion matrix for Approach 2 example ....................................... 3.15

Table 3.7

Summary of uncertainties under Approaches 1 to 3 ............................................................ 3.20

Table 3A.1.1

Examples of international land cover dataset ...................................................................... 3.21

Table 3A.3.1

Example of area estimation via proportions ........................................................................ 3.34

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

3 CONSISTENT REPRESENTATION OF LANDS
3.1

INTRODUCTION

Information, in terms of classification, area data, and sampling that represents various land-use categories, isneeded to estimate the carbon stocks, and the emission and removal of greenhouse gases associated with
Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) activities. This chapter provides guidance on using different
types of data to represent land-use categories, and conversions between land-use categories, so that they areapplied as appropriately and consistently as possible in inventory calculations.
Countries use various methods to obtain data, including annual census, periodic surveys and remote sensing.
Each of these methods of data collection will yield different types of information (e.g., maps or tabulations), at
different reporting frequencies, and with different attributes. Guidance is provided on the use of three genericapproaches.
Approach 1 identifies the total area for each individual land-use category within a country, but does not provide
detailed information on the nature of conversions between land uses. Approach 2 introduces tracking of
conversions between land-use categories. Approach 3 extends the information available in Approach 2 byallowing land-use conversions to be tracked on a spatially explicit basis. Countries may use a mix of Approaches
for different regions over time.
The guidance presented here is intended to assist countries in making the best use of available data and reducing,as far as practicable, possible overlaps and omissions in reporting. The guidance allows informed decisions on
the appropriate use of data of different types by those preparing greenhouse gas inventories, but is not intended
to be prescriptive on how data may be collected. Generally, all data should be:•adequate, i.e., capable of representing land-use categories, and conversions between land-use categories, as
needed to estimate carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions and removals;•consistent, i.e., capable of representing land-use categories consistently over time, without being unduly
affected by artificial discontinuities in time-series data;•

complete, which means that all land within a country should be included, with increases in some areasbalanced by decreases in others, recognizing the bio-physical stratification of land if needed (and as can besupported by data) for estimating and reporting emissions and removals of greenhouse gases; and•transparent, i.e., data sources, definitions, methodologies and assumptions should be clearly described.

The descriptions of land use follow the framework of:•land-use category - is the broad land use (one of the six land-use categories described below) reported aseither land remaining in a land-use category (i.e., remaining in the same use throughout the inventory timeseries) or land converted to a new land-use category (representing a change in land use).

•

sub-category - refers to special circumstances (e.g., areas of grazing within Forest Land) that are estimatedand reported separately but do not duplicate land in the broad land-use category.

•Land-use categories and sub-categories may be further stratified on the basis of land-use practices and biophysical characteristics in order to create more homogeneous spatial units as may be used for emissions
estimation (see Table 3.1 for examples).

3.2

LAND-USE CATEGORIESThe six broad land-use categories described below form the basis of estimating and reporting greenhouse gas
emissions and removals from land use and land-use conversions. The land uses may be considered as top-level
categories for representing all land-use areas, with sub-categories describing special circumstances significant toemissions estimation, and where data are available. The categories are broad enough to classify all land areas inmost countries and to accommodate differences in national land-use classification systems, and may be readilystratified (e.g., by climate or ecological zones). The categories (and sub-categories) are intended to be identified
through use of Approaches for representing land-use area data described in subsequent sections.
The definitions of land-use categories may incorporate land cover type, land use based, or a combination of thetwo. Care needs to be taken in inferring land use from the land cover characteristics and vice versa. For example,

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

in some countries, significant areas of the Forest Land category may be grazed, and firewood may be collectedfrom scattered trees in the Grassland category. These areas with different use may be significant enough forcountries to consider them separately as additional sub-categories. Countries should ensure that land is notaccounted for in more than one category or sub-category, in order to avoid double-counting of land areas.
For convenience, the categories are referred to as land-use categories. These particular categories have been
selected because they are:•robust as a basis for emissions and removals estimation;•

implementable; and•complete, in that all land areas in a country may be classified by these categories without duplication.

Countries will use their own definitions of these categories, which may or may not refer to internationallyaccepted definitions, such as those by FAO, Ramsar 1 , etc. Only broad and non-prescriptive definitions areprovided for the land-use categories and of managed and unmanaged lands. Countries should describe and apply
definitions consistently for the national land area over time.
Countries should describe the methods and definitions used to determine areas of managed and unmanaged lands.
Managed land is land where human interventions and practices have been applied to perform production,
ecological or social functions. All land definitions and classifications should be specified at the national level,
described in a transparent manner, and be applied consistently over time. Emissions/removals of greenhousegases do not need to be reported for unmanaged land. However, it is good practice for countries to quantify, andtrack over time, the area of unmanaged land so that consistency in area accounting is maintained as land-use
change occurs.
As the resolution of the national land use, mapping may be more coarse than the definitions used to describe theland-use categories (e.g., if the forest definition applied by a country includes a minimum area, of say one
hectare for example, yet the available land-use mapping minimum unit size is five hectares) it is possible that
there will be small (unidentified) areas of one land-use category reported under another. These small areas may
be reported under the mapped land use when they remain in the same category. If they are converted to anotherland-use category (e.g., a small area of Forest Land converted to another use is identified within an area
previously mapped as Cropland) and this is identified (e.g., by a permit application for the activity) then theyshould be reported under the appropriate land-use conversion (i.e., Forest Land converted to another specified
land use) and subtracted from the original (previously misclassified) land-use (remaining) area.
The land-use categories for greenhouse gas inventory reporting are:(i) Forest Land
This category includes all land with woody vegetation consistent with thresholds used to define Forest Land in
the national greenhouse gas inventory. It also includes systems with a vegetation structure that currently fall
below, but in situ could potentially reach the threshold values used by a country to define the Forest Landcategory.
(ii) CroplandThis category includes cropped land, including rice fields, and agro-forestry systems where the vegetation
structure falls below the thresholds used for the Forest Land category.
(iii) Grassland
This category includes rangelands and pasture land that are not considered Cropland. It also includes systems
with woody vegetation and other non-grass vegetation such as herbs and brushes that fall below the thresholdvalues used in the Forest Land category. The category also includes all grassland from wild lands to recreational
areas as well as agricultural and silvi-pastural systems, consistent with national definitions.
(iv) Wetlands
This category includes areas of peat extraction and land that is covered or saturated by water for all or part of theyear (e.g., peatlands) and that does not fall into the Forest Land, Cropland, Grassland or Settlements categories.
It includes reservoirs as a managed sub-division and natural rivers and lakes as unmanaged sub-divisions.

1

Refers to Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is anintergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for theconservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

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2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands(v) Settlements
This category includes all developed land, including transportation infrastructure and human settlements of any
size, unless they are already included under other categories. This should be consistent with national definitions.
(vi) Other Land
This category includes bare soil, rock, ice, and all land areas that do not fall into any of the other five categories.
It allows the total of identified land areas to match the national area, where data are available. If data are
available, countries are encouraged to classify unmanaged lands by the above land-use categories (e.g., into
Unmanaged Forest Land, Unmanaged Grassland, and Unmanaged Wetlands). This will improve transparency
and enhance the ability to track land-use conversions from specific types of unmanaged lands into the categories
above.

LAND-USE CONVERSIONS
Full application of the guidance requires estimation of land-use conversions that take place between datacollection intervals, particularly when different carbon stock estimates and different emission and removal
factors are associated with lands before and after a transition. Applicable land uses and land-use conversions areshown below:
FF=

Forest Land Remaining Forest Land

LF=

Land Converted to Forest Land

GG=

Grassland Remaining Grassland

LG=

Land Converted to Grassland

CC=

Cropland Remaining Cropland

LC=

Land Converted to CroplandWW=

Wetlands Remaining Wetlands

LW=

Land Converted to Wetlands

SS=

Settlements Remaining Settlements

LS=

Land Converted to Settlements

OO=

Other Land Remaining Other Land

LO=

Land Converted to Other Land

Where detailed data about the origin of land converted to a category are available (which will depend on the
Approach available to a country to represent land-use areas), countries can specify the land-use conversion. For
example, LC can be sub-divided into Forest Land Converted to Cropland (FC) and Grassland Converted to
Cropland (GC). While both land areas end up in the Cropland category, the differences in their emissions andremovals of greenhouse gases due to their origin should be represented and reported wherever possible. When
applying these land-use category conversions, countries should classify land under only one (end land use)category to prevent double counting. The reporting category is therefore the end-use category, not the categoryof origin prior to the land-use conversion.
If a country's national land-use classification system does not match categories (i) to (vi) as described above, theland-use classifications should be combined or disaggregated in order to represent the categories presented here.
Countries should report on the procedure adopted for the reallocation. The national definitions for all categories
used in the inventory and any threshold or parameter values used in the definitions should be specified. Where
national land classification systems are being changed or developed for the first time, compatibility with landuse classes (i) to (vi) above should be sought.
The broad land-use categories listed above may be further stratified (as described in Section 3.3.2) by climate or
ecological zone, soil and vegetation type, etc., as necessary, to match land areas with the methods for assessing
carbon stock changes and greenhouse gas emissions and removals described in Chapters 2 and 4 to 9 of thisVolume. Default climate and soil classification schemes are provided in Annex 3A.5. Examples of stratifications
that are used for Tier 1 emissions and removals estimation are summarized in Table 3.1. Specific stratification
systems vary by land use and carbon pools and are used in the estimation methods later in this Volume.
Guidance on stratifying land-use areas to match data needs for estimating emissions and removals is provided in
Section 3.3.2 of this chapter.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

TABLE 3.1
EXAMPLE STRATIFICATIONS WITH SUPPORTING DATA FOR TIER 1 EMISSIONS ESTIMATION METHODS
FactorStrata

CLIMATE(see Annex 3A.5)

SOIL(see Annex 3A.5)

BIOMASS (ECOLOGICAL
ZONE)(see Figure 4.1, in Chapter 4
Forest Land)

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES(more than one may be applied to
any land area)

3.3

BorealCold temperate dry
Cold temperate wet
Warm temperate dry
Warm temperate moist
Tropical dry
Tropical moist
Tropical wet
High activity clay
Low activity clay
Sandy
SpodicVolcanic
Wetland
Organic
Tropical rainforest
Tropical moist deciduous forest
Tropical dry forest
Tropical shrubland
Tropical desert
Tropical mountain systems
Subtropical humid forest
Subtropical dry forest
Subtropical steppe
Subtropical desert
Subtropical mountain systems
Temperate oceanic forest
Temperate continental forest
Temperate steppe
Temperate desert
Temperate mountain systems
Boreal coniferous forest
Boreal tundra woodland
Boreal mountain systems
Polar
Intensive tillage/Reduced till/No-till
Long term cultivated
Perennial tree crop
LimingHigh/Low/Medium Input Cropping Systems
Improved Grassland
Unimproved Grassland

REPRESENTING LAND-USE AREAS

This section describes three Approaches that may be used to represent areas of land use using the categories
defined in the previous section. They are presented below in order of increasing information content. Approach 1
identifies the total change in area for each individual land-use category within a country, but does not provide
information on the nature and area of conversions between land uses. Approach 2 introduces tracking of land-use
conversions between categories (but is not spatially explicit). Approach 3 extends Approach 2 by allowing landuse conversions to be tracked on a spatially explicit basis.
The Approaches are not presented as hierarchical tiers and do not imply any increase or decrease in accuracy but
reflect collection methods and attributes and, therefore, appropriate ways to use the data. Accuracy is affected asmuch or more by the quality of application of the Approach as by the Approach itself. The Approaches are notmutually exclusive, and the mix of Approaches selected by a country should reflect emissions estimation needs
and national circumstances. One Approach may be applied uniformly to all areas and land-use categories withina country, or different Approaches may be applied to different regions or categories or in different time intervals.

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Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

In all cases, countries should characterize and account for all relevant land areas in a country consistently and astransparently as possible.
All data should reflect the historical trends in land-use area, as needed for the inventory methods described in
Chapters 2 and 4 to 9 of this Volume. The commencement time for the historical data required is based on theamount of time needed for dead organic matter and soil carbon stocks to reach equilibrium following land-use
conversion (20 years is recommended as a default, but can be longer, e.g., for temperate and boreal systems).
After the period to reach equilibrium has passed, land that was added to a land-use conversion category needs tobe transferred to “land remaining in a land-use category”. The time-series data on land-use conversion istherefore also used to determine the annual transfer of area from the category “land converted to category” to“land remaining in a land-use category”.
TIME-SERIES
Inventory requires data on land-use area for at least two points in time relevant to the inventory year. For
Approach 1 (identifying only the net national change in area of each land-use category, but not the transfers
between them), the historical land use may still not be known. In such circumstances countries should either
infer the previous land use (see Section 3.3.2.2 below) or assume that the land has remained in the land-use
category for all time prior to the land-use conversion. This assumption may underestimate removals whereconversions to land uses with higher carbon contents predominate, or underestimate emissions in the opposite
case.
It is important that there is a consistent time-series in the preparation of land-use category and conversion data sothat artifact from method change is not included as an actual land-use conversion. Care should also be taken to
ensure that the areas of managed and unmanaged land are both defined and estimated consistently. The following
section details how to deal with changes in managed land areas (and consequent changes in carbon stock) whenusing stock change methods for emissions estimation.
CONSISTENT USE OF LAND AREA IN CARBON STOCK ESTIMATESOver the time-series of a national inventory, it is likely that the total area of managed lands will increase as
unmanaged lands are converted to managed land. In this case, where the land area is used to estimate the carbon
stock (when using a stock-difference method of emissions estimation), it is possible that the entry of additional
land into the inventory (by changing from an unmanaged to managed status) will incorrectly appear as a carbon
stock increase. This could wrongly be inferred as a removal from the atmosphere, whereas in reality it is only an
increase due to the expanded land-use area over the inventory time-series. To separate carbon stock increases
arising from changes in area from true carbon stock changes, carbon stock estimates should be recalculated forthe complete inventory time-series area whenever the total area of managed land changes in an annual inventory.
The maximum area of land (and associated carbon stock) at any point in the time-series should be used as thebasis for emissions and removals estimation throughout the inventory time-series. Carbon stocks on unmanaged
lands can be assumed to remain constant (thus, carbon stock changes would be zero) until the year in which land
is classified as a managed use. The recalculation will therefore change the initial carbon stock estimate in theyear the land entered the inventory, but will not affect the estimation of carbon stock change over the inventory
time-series until the relevant land becomes managed.
DATA AVAILABILITY
For many countries, implementing these inventory guidelines may require new data collection. Annex 3A.3
provides general guidance on sampling techniques and Annex 3A.4 on spatially explicit (Approach 3) datasets.
Where the data needed to apply these inventory guidelines on land use are not available nationally, data on land
categories may be derived from global datasets (examples are provided in Annex 3A.1, but generally report on
the basis of land cover only, and not land use). It is preferable that data used should be capable of producing
input to uncertainty calculations.
When using land-use data, inventory compilers should:•

Harmonize definitions between the existing independent databases and also with the land-use categories tominimize gaps and overlaps. For example, overlaps might occur if woodland on farms were included both inforestry and agricultural datasets. In order to harmonize data, the woodland should be counted only once forgreenhouse gas inventory purposes, taking into account the forest definition adopted nationally. Information
on possible overlaps for the purposes of harmonization should be available from agencies responsible forsurveys. Harmonization of definitions does not mean that agencies should abandon definitions that are ofuse to them but should establish the relationship between definitions in use with the aim of eliminating
double counting and omissions. This should be done throughout the dataset to maintain time-seriesconsistency.

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use•

Ensure that the land-use categories used can identify all relevant activities. For example, if a country needs
to track a managed land-use category such as Forest Land, then the classification system must distinguishmanaged from unmanaged Forest Land.

•

Ensure that data acquisition methods are reliable, well documented methodologically, timely, at an
appropriate scale, and from reliable sources.

•

Ensure the consistent application of category definitions between time periods. For example, countries
should check whether the definition of forest has changed over time in terms of tree crown cover and otherparameters. If changes are identified, use the corrected data for recalculation consistently throughout the
time-series, and report on actions taken. Guidance on recalculation can be found in Volume 1 Chapter 5.

•

Prepare uncertainty estimates for those land-use areas and conversions in area that will be used in theestimation of carbon stock changes, greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

•

Ensure that the national land area is consistent across the inventory time-series; otherwise stock changes willreflect false C increases or decreases due to a change in total land area accounted for when using a stockchange emissions estimation method.

•

Assess whether the sum of the areas in the land classification databases is consistent with the total nationalarea, given the level of data uncertainty. If coverage is complete, then the net sum of all the changes in landarea between two time periods should be zero to within the uncertainties involved. In cases where coverage
is incomplete, the difference between the area covered and the national area should, in general, be stable orvary slowly with time, again to within the uncertainties expected in the data. If the balancing term varies
rapidly, or (in the case of complete coverage) sums are not equal, inventory compilers should investigate,
explain, and make any corrections necessary. These checks on the total area should take into account theuncertainties in the annual or periodic surveys or censuses involved. Information on uncertainties should beobtained from the agencies responsible for the surveys. Remaining differences between the sum of areas
accounted for by the available data and the national area should be within the expected uncertainty for area
estimation.

For some activities reported, such as the application of nitrogen fertilizer, liming and harvested wood products,
only national aggregate data may be available. Where emissions and removals estimation methods are applied ata national level, it is appropriate to use such data without categorization by land use.

3.3.1

Three Approaches

A PPROACH 1:

T OTAL LAND - USE AREA , NO DATA ON CONVERSIONSBETWEEN LAND USES

Approach 1 represents land-use area totals within a defined spatial unit, which is often defined by politicalboundaries, such as a country, province or municipality. Another characteristic of Approach 1 data is that only
the net changes in land-use area can be tracked through time. Consequently, the exact location or pattern of theland uses is not known within the spatial unit, and moreover the exact changes in land-use categories cannot be
ascertained. Datasets are likely to have been prepared for other purposes, such as forestry or agricultural
statistics. Frequently, several datasets will be combined to cover all national land classifications and regions of acountry. In this case the absence of a unified data system can potentially lead to double counting or omission,
since the agencies involved may use different definitions of specific land use for assembling their databases.
Ways to deal with this are suggested below.
Tables 3.2 and 3.3 show summary land-use area data for a hypothetical country (with a national land area of 140
million ha) using locally relevant land classifications. Table 3.2 is prepared at the level of the broad land-use
categories. Table 3.3 depicts the same information with example stratifications to estimate the effect of various
activities using the emissions estimation methods described elsewhere in this Volume.
Determination of the area of land-use conversion in each category is based on the difference in area at two points
in time, either with partial or full land area coverage. No specification of inter-category conversions (i.e., ‘land
remaining in a land-use category’ and ‘land converted to a new land-use category’) is possible under Approach
1 unless supplementary data are available (which would then introduce a mix with Approach 2).
The land-use area data may come originally from periodic sample survey data, maps or censuses (such as
landowner surveys), but will probably not be spatially explicit. The sum of all land-use category areas may or
may not equal the total area of the country or region under consideration, and the net result of land-use

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Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

conversions may or may not equal zero, depending on the consistency in data collection and application in theinventories for each land-use category. The final result of this Approach is a table of land use at given points intime. Because the total land base that is reported each year for all land-use categories should remain constant, atable similar to Table 3.3 should be generated as a QA/QC measure. If inconsistencies are found, it is goodpractice to identify and correct the problem(s) for future inventories. This may require closer coordination
among inventory teams for separate land-use categories (if analyzed separately) or possibly new surveys or othertypes of data collection.
Other parts of this Volume require information on land area in each land-use category presented in Table 3.3 tobe broken down into the categories “land remaining in the same land-use category” and “land converted to a newland-use category”. This is dependent on methodological requirements in other chapters of this Volume. If landuse data are not sufficient to support Approach 2 (see below), where the total (gross) land conversion areas canbe quantified, the emissions and removals may be reported in the “land remaining in the same land-use category”(as specified in Table 3.2). This is because the data may only be sufficient to identify the net change in area of
each land-use category, and not the total effect of all land conversions. However, in general the methods for bothsoils and biomass related emissions estimation require land area data categorized by “lands remaining” and“converted to” categories and thus it is desirable to do this if possible, even if this is done using expert judgment.
Note that by reporting only in the “land remaining” category, emissions and removals will include, but not
explicitly reflect a changing land base within a land-use category (different areas, e.g., by the net transition inareas to and from the Forest Land category) over time. This may overestimate or underestimate emissions forthat particular “land remaining” category. However, a complete inventory will tend to counter-balance this withemissions and removals from another “land remaining” category in the inventory.
It is acceptable to report non-CO2 emission by source category without attribution to land uses if emissions are
estimated based on national statistics, without reference to individual land uses (e.g., N2O emissions from soils).
Methods outlined in this Volume frequently estimate emissions using national statistics in this manner.
TABLE 3.2
EXAMPLE OF APPROACH 1: AVAILABLE LAND USE DATA WITH COMPLETE NATIONAL COVERAGE
Time 1

Net land-use conversion
between Time 1 and Time 2

Time 2

F

=

18

F

=

19

Forest Land

=

+1

G

=

84

G

=

82

Grassland

=

-2

C

=

31

C

=

29

Cropland

=

-2

W

=

0

W

=

0

Wetlands

=

0

S

=

5

S

=

8

Settlements

=

+3

O

=

2

O

=

2

Other Land

=

0

Sum

=

140

Sum

=

140

Sum

=

0

Note: F = Forest Land, G = Grassland, C = Cropland, W = Wetlands, S = Settlements, O = Other Land. Numbers represent area units (Mhain this example).

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TABLE 3.3
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF STRATIFICATION OF DATA FOR APPROACH 1
Land-use category/strataInitial land area
(million ha)

Final land area
(million ha)

Net Change in area
(million ha)

Forest Land total

18

19

1

Forest Land
(Unmanaged)

5

5

0

Not included in theinventory estimates

Forest Land
(temperatecontinental forest;
converted to anotherland-use category)

7

8

1

Estimates should be
prepared on the 8
million ha
No land-use
conversion. Could
require stratification
for different
management regimes
etc.

Forest Land (boreal
coniferous)

6

6

0

Grassland total

84

82

-2

StatusFall in area indicatesland-use conversion.
Could require
stratification fordifferent management
regimes etc.
No land-use
conversion. Could
require stratification
for different
management regimes
etc.
Fall in area indicatesland-use conversion.
Could require
stratification fordifferent management
regimes etc.

Grassland(Unimproved)

65

63

-2

Grassland (Improved)

19

19

0

Cropland total

31

29

-2

Wetlands total

0

0

0

Settlements total

5

8

3

Other Land total

2

2

0

Unmanaged - not ininventory estimates

TOTAL

140

140

0

Note: areas should
reconcile

Note: “Initial” is the category at a time previous to the date for which the assessment is made and “Final” is the category at the date ofassessment. Activities for which location data are not available should be identified by further sub-categorisation of an appropriate land
category.

A PPROACH 2:

T OTAL LAND - USE AREA , INCLUDING CHANGESBETWEEN CATEGORIESThe essential feature of Approach 2 is that it provides an assessment of both the net losses or gains in the area ofspecific land-use categories and what these conversions represent (i.e., changes both from and to a category).
Thus, Approach 2 differs from Approach 1 in that it includes information on conversions between categories, but
is still only tracking those changes without spatially-explicit location data, often based on political boundaries(i.e., locations of specific land use and land-use conversions are not known). Tracking land-use conversions inthis manner will normally require estimation of initial and final land-use categories for all conversion types, aswell as of total area of unchanged land by category. The final result of this Approach can be presented as a nonspatially-explicit land-use conversion matrix. The matrix form is a compact format for representing the areas that

3.12

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

have come under different conversions between all possible land-use categories. Existing land-use databases
may have sufficient detail for this Approach, or it may be necessary to obtain data through sampling or othermethods. The input data may or may not have originally been spatially-explicit (i.e., mapped or otherwise
geographically referenced).
For Approach 2, emission and removal factors can be chosen to reflect differences in the rate of changes incarbon according to the conversions between any two categories, and differences in initial carbon stocks
associated with different land uses can be taken into account. For example, the rate of soil organic carbon loss
will commonly be much higher from cropping than from pasture.
Approach 2 is illustrated in Table 3.4 using the data from the Approach 1 example (Table 3.3) by adding
information on all the conversions taking place. Such data can be written in the more compact form of a matrix
and this is presented in Table 3.5. To illustrate the added value of Approach 2 and this land-use conversion
matrix format, the data of Table 3.5 is given in Table 3.6 without the stratification of the land-use categories.
This can be compared with the more limited information from Approach 1 in Table 3.2. In Table 3.6, theconversions into and out of land categories can be tracked, whereas in Table 3.2 only the net changes in a broadland-use category are detectable.
In Tables 3.5 and 3.6, the area in the diagonal cells represents the area in each land-use category that was notaffected by land-use conversion in this inventory year. In preparation for the greenhouse gas emission andremoval estimations described elsewhere in this Volume, this area should be further sub-divided into the areathat has remained in the land-use category and area that has been affected by a land-use conversion (i.e., the land
converted to a different land-use category) in the previous Y years (where Y is the time period during which C
pools are expected to reach equilibrium (the IPCC default is 20 years, based on soil C pools typical time toequilibrium after land-use conversion).
Therefore, under the default assumption in every inventory year, the area converted to a land-use category
should be added to the category “land converted to” and the same area removed from the land remaining in theland-use category. The area of land that entered that “land converted to” category, 21 years ago (if using thedefault 20 year period), should be removed and added to the category “land remaining land”. For example, inTable 3.5, if data indicated that four of the 56 Mha in the Grassland category had been converted from Forest
Land 21 years ago, then four Mha of land should be moved from the category Land Converted to Grassland tothe category Grassland Remaining Grassland in this annual inventory.

A PPROACH 3:

S PATIALLY - EXPLICIT LAND - USE CONVERSION DATA

Approach 3 is characterized by spatially-explicit observations of land-use categories and land-use conversions,
often tracking patterns at specific point locations and/or using gridded map products, such as derived fromremote sensing imagery. The data may be obtained by various sampling, wall-to-wall mapping techniques, or
combination of the two methods. An overview of potential methods for developing Approach 3 datasets isprovided in Annex 3A.4.
Approach 3 data can be summarized in tables similar to Tables 3.5 and 3.6. The main advantage of spatiallyexplicit data is that analysis tools such as Geographic Information Systems can be used to link multiple spatiallyexplicit data sets (such as those used for stratification) and describe in detail the conditions on a particular pieceof land prior to and after a land-use conversion. This analytical capacity can improve emissions estimates bybetter aligning land-use categories (and conversions) with strata mapped for classification of carbon stocks andemission factors by soil type, vegetation type. This may be particularly applicable for Tier 3 emission estimation
methodologies. However, issues of compatible and comparable spatial resolutions need to be taken into account.

3.3.2

Using the data

Figure 3.1 is a decision tree to assist in describing and/or obtaining the data on land-use areas. All three
Approaches can, if implemented appropriately and consistently, be used to produce robust greenhouse gas
emission and removal estimates. However, it should be noted that Approach 1 will probably not detect changes
in biomass, such as those due to the full extent of deforestation and reforestation on separate areas of land, but
only those due to the net conversion of land-use area from a forest to a non-forest use. In general, only Approach
3 will allow for the spatial representation required as an input to spatially-based carbon models.
Different Approaches may be more effective over different time periods, or may be required for different
reporting purposes. Methods to carry out matching of the time-series between the different periods or uses
should be applied.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

3.13

Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

TABLE 3.4
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF TABULATING ALL LAND-USE CONVERSION FOR APPROACH 2
INCLUDING NATIONALLY DEFINED STRATA
Initial land use

Final land use

Land area, Mha

Inclusions/Exclusions

Forest Land (Unmanaged)

Forest Land (Unmanaged)

5

Excluded from GHG inventory

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

4

Included in GHG inventory

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

Grassland (Unimproved)

2

Included in GHG inventory

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

Settlements

1

Included in GHG inventory

Forest Land (Managed, boreal
coniferous)

Forest Land (Managed,
boreal coniferous)

6

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Unimproved)

Grassland (Unimproved)

61

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Unimproved)

Grassland (Improved)

2

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Unimproved)

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

1

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Unimproved)

Settlements

1

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Improved)

Grassland (Improved)

17

Included in GHG inventory

Grassland (Improved)

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

2

Included in GHG inventory

CroplandCropland29

Included in GHG inventory

Cropland

Forest Land (Managed,
temperate continental)

1

Included in GHG inventory

CroplandSettlements

1

Included in GHG inventory

Wetlands

Wetlands0

Included in GHG inventory

Settlements

Settlements

5

Included in GHG inventory

Other Land

Other Land

2

Excluded from GHG inventory

TOTAL

140

Note: Data are a stratified version of those in Table 3.3. Sub-categories are nationally defined and are illustrative only. “Initial” indicatesthe category at a time previous to the date for which the assessment is made and “Final” the category at the date of assessment.

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2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

TABLE 3.5
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF APPROACH 2 DATA IN A LAND-USE CONVERSION MATRIX WITH CATEGORY STRATIFICATION
InitialFinal

ForestLand(unmanaged)

Forest Land
(unmanaged)

ForestForestGrasslandLandLand(unim(managed, (managed proved)
temperate , boreal
continental) coniferous)

Grass- Cropland Wetlands Settleland (imments
proved)Other Final
Land area

5

5

Forest Land(managed,temperatecontinental)

41

Forest Land(managed,borealconiferous)

2

8

1

6

6

Grassland(unimproved)

2

63

61

Grassland(improved)

2

19

17

Cropland29

29

Wetlands

00

Settlements

1

1

1

8

5

Other Land2

2

Initial area

5

7

6

65

19

31

0

5

2

140

Net change

0

1

0

-2

0

-2

0

+3

0

0

Note: Column and row totals show net conversion of land use as presented in Table 3.3. “Initial” indicates the category at a time previous
to the date for which the assessment is made and “Final” the category at the date of assessment. Net changes (bottom row) are the final
area minus the initial area for each of the (conversion) categories shown at the head of the corresponding column. Blank entry indicatesno land-use conversion for this transition.

TABLE 3.6
SIMPLIFIED LAND-USE CONVERSION MATRIX FOR APPROACH 2 EXAMPLE
Net land-use conversion matrix
Initial

F

G

C

F

15

3

1

G

2

80

Final

C

S

82
29
0

1

1

18

84

Final sum
19

0
5

1

O
Initial sum

O

29

W
S

W

31

Note:
F = Forest Land,
G = Grassland,
C = Cropland,
S = Settlements, O = Other Land
Numbers represent area units (Mha in this example).

0

5

8
2

2

2

140

W = Wetlands,

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

3.3.2.1

S TRATIFICATION OF LAND - USE DATA

Once land use and land-use conversion areas have been established, it is necessary to consider the capacity andneed for further stratification. This may be needed to locate relevant data from subsequent chapters for emissions
factors, carbon stocks, etc. Table 3.1 shows the typical stratifications for which data are available for theapplication of Tier 1 emissions and removals estimation. Throughout the default tables used to populate
equations to calculate a Tier 1 inventory, specific data cells are highlighted that represented the pre-defined
stratifications applied to Tier 1 inventories. That is, Tier 1 default data (tables) conform to a consistent
stratification so that there is no further calculation or ambiguity in the appropriate selection of default data to
populate equations. Where countries are preparing Tiers 2 and 3 inventories, it is likely that stratification
schemes may differ based on country-specific information and selection, manipulation or supplementation ofdefault data may be required.
Unless all land-use area and stratification data are spatially-explicit (Approach 3), the development of rules forallocations to strata may be required. For example, Approach 1 land-use data are stratified by climate and soil
type to estimate soil C stock changes. Optimally, the land-use data can be down-scaled to capture the proportionof land uses in each climate or soil type, with ancillary information and expert knowledge. If re-scaling is notpossible, inventory estimation can still proceed, but the emissions and removals estimates should reflect
uncertainties in the assignment of emission/stock change factors (and associated parameters) that vary by climate
and/or soil.
Management data may only be available in an Approach 1 format (e.g., expert knowledge or periodic surveys ofdifferent sets of land owners) even if Approach 2 or 3 data are available for land-use categories. In this case,management can be summarized as a proportion of the management practice (e.g., % no till, intensive tillage andreduced tillage) in each “lands remaining” and “lands converted” land-use category. This will be a limiting
assumption if the management classes are not evenly distributed as the impact of management on the emission or
removal depends on land-use category.
Tiers 2 and 3 methods may also evaluate interactions between management practices that affect emission/stockchange factors. Determining the appropriate combinations of management is another issue that needs carefulconsideration. Tier 1 methods typically do not address the temporal trends in emissions/stock change factors(assuming a linear change) or capture interactions among management practices on a specific land use, but rather
represent an average effect. Consequently, assignment of emission/stock change factors may become more
complicated with higher Tier methods and require careful explanation of the scaling processes that were used todelineate the appropriate combinations of the climate, soil, ecological zones, and/or management systems.

3.16

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Figure 3.1

Decision tree for preparation of land-use area data

Identify a primaryexisting land-use
dataset for the country(e.g., FAO data).

Are
spatially
explicit data
available, if
needed?

Arespatially
explicit dataneeded forsome or any
land
areas?

No

Yes

Are
spatialdata fora geographically
mixed Approach(1, 2, & 3)
available?

Primary dataset
acceptablefor use.

Does
the (modified)primary dataset
cover the wholecountry?

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Modify primarydataset to use
mixed Approaches(1, 2, & 3), if needed.

Canthe gaps in thearea coverage befilled using otherexisting data
sets?

Does
the dataset
have any
underlying
spatial information?

No

Obtain and use theadditional spatial
information.

Can
new data becollected to fill thegaps in area
coverage?

Yes

Yes

Yes

(Modified) Primary dataset
acceptable for coverage.

Combine primaryand secondary
datasets.

Collect new data forthe gaps in area coverage.

Does
the (modified)primary dataset provide
a complete time series
for thecountry?

Candata for missing
years be supplemented
with existing
secondary data
sets?

No

No

Can
new data becollected tocomplete the timeseries?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Document the choiceof methods (Approaches).

Use a mix ofApproaches to build
a complete time series.

Collect new data forthe gaps in the timeseries using guidancein this chapter.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

No

Collectspatialinformation
where
required.

No
Useinternational
datasets tominimize
gaps incoverageand document
results.

No
Use
techniques forinterpolation
andextrapolation
to estimate
fluxes formissing years.

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

3.3.2.2

P REPARING AREA DATA FOR EMISSIONS AND REMOVALSESTIMATION

Preparing a greenhouse gas inventory for AFOLU requires the integration of land-use area with data of land
management and biomass, dead organic matter and soil carbon stock pools, in order to estimate carbon stockchanges and CO2 and non-CO2 emissions and removals associated with land use. Depending on the type of data
available (Approach 1, 2 or 3), there are implications for the subsequent use of the data in the preparation of
estimates of emissions and removals according to the land-use conversion framework represented in thereporting tables.
Countries that only have access to Approach 1 data have two options for reporting land-use category conversions.
Total areas for categories of “land remaining in a land use” may include some portion of land that was converted
to that land use since the last inventory. Countries should wherever possible apportion change in land-use areas
over time to inferred land-use conversion categories for the purposes of determining appropriate carbon stockand emission factor estimates. For example, a country with 1 Mha of forest, 1,000 ha deforestation and 1,000 haafforestation has a zero net change in Forest Land area (presuming these changes occurred on managed land),but will have a reduction in forest biomass C stocks, at least until sufficient regrowth occurs. Subsequentdecisions will be needed to relate these inferred area conversions between land-use categories to appropriate land
management, biomass and soil C stocks and emission factors. Where this is done, countries should report thebasis for these decisions, and any methods of verification or cross-checking of estimates that have been applied,
and the effects on inventory uncertainty. If this apportioning is not done, then countries should state this, andreport the effect on uncertainties associated with doing so.
For countries with Approach 2 data, where information on the areas of each land-use conversion is known but is
not spatially-explicit, these area estimates still need to be linked to appropriate initial carbon stocks, emissions
factors, etc. In some cases, this may require the assignment of the land-use conversion data to climate, and/or
vegetation type, soil and management strata. Again, this can be done by some form of sampling, scaling orexpert judgement. Countries should report the basis for these decisions, and any methods of verification or crosschecking of estimates that have been applied.
For countries using Approach 3 data, it is possible to apportion areas of land-use conversion by spatiallyintersecting the data with other spatial datasets, such as those on climate, and/or vegetation type, soil andmanagement strata. However, it is likely that inference, for example, based on survey data and expert judgement,
will be needed to apportion the land-use conversion and biophysical data by management practices as data on
management practices are rarely available in spatially explicit formats.

3.4

MATCHING LAND AREAS WITH FACTORSFOR ESTIMATING GREENHOUSE GASEMISSIONS AND REMOVALSThis section provides brief guidance on matching the land-use area data with carbon stocks, emissions factors
and other relevant data (e.g., forest biomass stocks, average annual net increment) to estimate greenhouse gas
emissions and removals. An initial step in preparing national inventory estimates is to assemble the required
activity data (i.e., land-use areas) and match them with appropriate carbon stock, emissions and removal factors
and other relevant data.
This Volume provides default data (specifically marked) needed to make Tier 1 estimates for all AFOLU
categories according to specified climate and ecological zone stratifications. In addition, countries may develop
country-specific carbon stock, emission and removal factors and other relevant data (Tiers 2 and 3 inventory
methods). The following summarizes the principles to be followed when matching activity data with carbon
stock, emission and removal factors and other relevant data:•

match national land-use area classifications to as many land-use categories as possible;•

when national land-use classifications do not conform to the land-use categories of these guidelines,
document the relationship between classification systems;•

use classifications consistently through time and, when necessary, document any modifications made toclassification system;•

document definitions of land categories, land-use area estimates, and how they correspond to emission andremoval factors; and,3.18

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands•

match each land-use category or sub-category to the most suitable carbon stock estimates, emission andremoval factors and other relevant data.

Following are the recommended steps for matching land areas with emission and removal factors:
1.

Start with the most disaggregated land-use area stratification as well as the most detailed available emission
and removal factors needed to make an estimate. For example, the Forest Land methodologies, described in
Chapter 4 of this Volume, provide a default factor for above-ground biomass stocks in forest plantations thatis disaggregated at the most detailed stratification, relative to other factors (i.e., forest type, region, species
group, age class, and climate). These strata would be used as an initial base stratification.

2.

Include only those strata applicable in your country and use this as a base stratification.

3.

Match land-use area estimates to the base stratification at the most disaggregated level possible. Countries
may need to use expert judgment to align the best available land-use area estimates with the basestratification.

4.

Map emission and removal factors onto the base stratification by matching them as closely as possible to thestratification categories. Note that many of the default stock change and emissions factors and otherparameters in Tier 1 (default) equations were statistically derived for specifically defined strata (e.g., climate
type, soil type) so that countries wishing to use Tier 1 methods for these emissions and removals should
stratify land-use categories using the definitions as specified for Tier 1 change factors and parameters.

If a national land-use classification is fitted to the land-use categories (and sub-categories) this facilitatesmatching of emission and removal factors that follow the same classification. For example, default soil carbon
factors for Forest Land, Cropland, and Grassland are disaggregated by the same climate regions (see Annex
3A.5). Therefore, the same land area classification can be used to estimate soil carbon changes in each of theland-use categories, enabling consistent tracking of lands and carbon fluxes on lands resulting from land-use
category conversions.
Countries may find that national land classifications change over time as national circumstances change andmore detailed activity data and emission/removal factors become available. In some cases, the stratification will
be elaborated with the addition of more detailed emission and removal factors. In other cases, new stratifications
systems will be established when countries implement new forest inventories or remote sensing sampling
designs. When changes to the stratification system occur, countries should recalculate the entire time-series of
estimates using the new stratification if possible.

3.5

UNCERTAINTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE
APPROACHES

Uncertainties should be quantified and reduced as far as practicable. Land-use area uncertainty estimates are
required as an input to overall uncertainty analysis. Although the uncertainty associated with the Approaches (1to 3) obviously depends on how well they are implemented, it is possible to give an indication of what can beachieved in practice. Table 3.7 sets out the sources of uncertainty (not the significance) for different Approaches.
This provides a guide to sources of uncertainties, indicative levels of uncertainty under certain conditions thatmight be encountered, and a basis for reducing uncertainties.
The number of potential sources of uncertainty in area estimates will tend to increase from Approach 1 toApproach 3, because successively more data are brought into the assessment. This does not imply that
uncertainty increases, however, because of the additional cross-checks that are made possible by the new data,
and because of the general reduction in uncertainties due to cancellation of errors. The main difference between
Approach 1, and Approaches 2 and 3 is that percentage uncertainties on conversion between land uses are likely
to be greater in Approach 1 (if known at all). This is because in Approach 1 land-use conversions are derived
from differences (net change) in total areas. The effect of this Approach 1 uncertainty on emissions and removals
from conversions will depend on the relative amount of land conversion in the country as a fraction of total landarea. Approach 3 produces detailed spatially-explicit information; which may be required e.g., for some spatialmodelling approaches to emissions estimation.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

TABLE 3.7
SUMMARY OF UNCERTAINTIES UNDER APPROACHES 1 TO 3
Sources of uncertainty
Approach 1

Sources of uncertainty may
include some or all of thefollowing, depending on thenature of the source of data:•

Error in census returns•

Differences in definition
between agencies•

Sampling design•

Sampling error•

Interpretation of samples•

Only net change in area isknownWays to reduce uncertainty

Indicative uncertainty
following checks•

Check for consistent
relationship with national
area

Order of a few % to order of
10% for total land area ineach category.

•

Correct for differences indefinitions•

Consult statisticalagencies on likely
uncertainties involved•

Compare withinternational datasets

Greater % uncertainty forchanges in area derived fromsuccessive surveys.
Systematic errors may besignificant when dataprepared for other purposes isused.

In addition:
Cross-checks on area changes
between categories cannot be
conducted under Approach 1 andthis will tend to increase
uncertainties.
Approach 2

As Approach 1, but grosschanges in area are known, andwith ability to carry out crosschecks

As above, plus consistency
checks between intercategory changes within thematrixOrder of a few % to order of
10% for total land area ineach category, and greater forchanges in area, since theseare derived directly

Approach 3

As Approach 2 plus uncertainties
linked to interpretation of remotesensing data where used, andminus any sampling uncertainty

As Approach 2 plus formal
analysis of uncertainties using
principles set out in Volume 1
Chapter 3

As Approach 2, but areas
involved can be identified
geographically. However, for
Approach 3, the amount of
uncertainty can be estimatedmore accurately than forApproach 2 because errors are
mapped and can be tested
against independent data/field
checked.

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2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Annex 3A.1

Examples of international land cover dataset 2
TABLE 3A.1.1
EXAMPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAND COVER DATASET
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

Dataset name

Asian Association on Remote Sensing(AARS) Global 4-Minute Land CoverInternational Geosphere-Biosphere
Program – Data & Information Services(IGBP-DIS) Global 1km Land Cover
Data Set

Global Land Cover Dataset

Global Land Cover Dataset

AuthorCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing,
Chiba University

IGBP/DIS

United States Geological Survey(USGS), USA

GLCF (Global Land Cover Facility)

Brief
description ofcontents

Land cover classes are identified throughclustering National Oceanic &Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Advanced Very High Resolution
Radiometer (AVHRR) monthly data.

This classification is derived from
AVHRR 1km data and ancillary data.

The data set is derived from a flexible
data base structure and seasonal land
cover regions concepts

Metrics describing the temporal
dynamics of vegetation were applied to1984 PAL data at 8km resolution toderive a global land cover classification
product using a decision tree classifier.

Classification
schemeOriginal classification scheme is applied.
Compatible with IGBP/DIS classification
scheme.

It consists of 17 classes.

A convergence of evidence approach isused to determine the land cover type foreach seasonal land cover class.

The classification was derived by
testing several metrics that describe thetemporal dynamics of vegetation overan annual cycle.

Data format(vector/raster)

RasterRasterRasterRasterSpatialcoverage

GlobalGlobalGlobalGlobal1992-1993

April 1992-March 1993

1987

Data acquisition 1990year

2 These datasets are primarily about land cover and/or land cover change. Few refer to actual land use.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

TABLE 3A.1.1 (CONTINUED)
EXAMPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAND COVER DATASET(A)
Spatialresolution or
Revisioninterval (fortime-series
Qualitydescription
Contact address
and reference
URL

(B)

(C)

(D)

4min x 4min.

1km x 1km

1km x 1km

8km x 8km

Not applicableNot applicableNot applicableNot applicable

Ground truth data are compared against thedataset.

High-resolution satellite imagery used tostatistically validate the dataset.

Sample point accuracy: 59.4% Areaweighted accuracy: 66.9% (Scepan,1999).

No description

http://ceres.cr.chiba-u.ac.jp:8080/usr-dir/

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/

http://edcdaac.usgs.gov/glcc/

http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands
TABLE 3A.1.1 (CONTINUED)
EXAMPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAND COVER DATASETS
(E)

(F)

(G)

(H)

(I)

DatasetnameGeocover1º Land Cover Map from
AVHRR

CORINE land cover (CLC2000)
database

Digital Chart of the World

Global Map

Author

MacDonald Dettwiler& Associates

Dr. Ruth De Fries University of
Maryland at College Park, USA

European Environmental Agency

ESRI Products

Produced by National Mapping
Organizations, and Compiled by
ISCGM.

Brief
descriptionof contents

A medium resolution
land cover databasefrom orthorectified
Landsat Thematic
Mapper imagery

The data set describes thegeographical distributions ofeleven major cover types basedon inter-annual variations in
NDVI.

It provides a pan-European inventoryof biophysical land cover. CORINE
land cover is a key database for
integrated environmental assessment.

It is a worldwide base map ofcoastlines, boundaries, land cover, etc.
Contains more than 200 attributes
arranged into 17 thematic layers withtext annotations for geographicalfeatures.

Digital geographic information in 1
km resolution covering the wholeland with standardized
specifications and available toeveryone at marginal cost.

Classification scheme

13 class map

It consists of the digital 13 classmap

Uses a 44 class nomenclature.

8 Agriculture/ Extraction features and 7
surface cover features.

Refer to http://www.iscgm.org/

Raster & vector

RasterRasterVector Polygons

Raster and Vector

GlobalGlobalAustria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Poland , Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom,
Parts of Morocco and Tunisia.

Global coverage

Participating countries (90 in
number)Data format(vector/raster)Spatialcoverage

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

TABLE 3A.1.1 (CONTINUED)
EXAMPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAND COVER DATASETS(E)
Data
acquisitionyear

Various

(F)

(G)

(H)

(I)

1987

Depends on the country (overall timespan is around 1985-95)

Based on ONCs of US Defence
Mapping Agency. Period 1970-80.
Refer to the Compilation date layer.

Depends on the participating
nations.

Spatial
30m x 30m grid
resolution or
grid size

1 x 1 degree

250m by 250m grid database which
has been aggregated from theoriginal vector data at 1:100,000.

1:1,000,000 scale

1km x 1km grids

Revisioninterval (fortime-series
datasets)

Not applicableNot applicable

CLC Update Project of 2000 for
updating it to the 1990's data

Not applicable

Approximately five-year intervals

Qualitydescription

No description

No description

No specific information available.
Refer to http://dataservice.eea.eu.int/
dataservice/; for country wise
information.

Data quality information exists at threelevels within the database: feature,layer and source.

Refer to http://www.iscgm.org/

Contact
address andreference
URL

http://www.mdafederal.
com/geocover/project

landcov@geog.umd.edu

dataservice@eea.eu.int

http://www.esri.com/data/

sec@iscgm.org

http://www.geog.umd.edu/landc
over/

http://www.terrestrial.eionet.eu.int/

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Annex 3A.2

Development of land-use databases

There are three broad sources of data for the land-use databases needed for greenhouse gas inventories:•

databases prepared for other purposes;•

collection by sampling; and•complete land inventory.

The following subsections provide general advice on the use of these types of data. Greenhouse gas inventory
preparers might not be involved in the detailed collection of remote sensing data or ground survey data, but canuse the guidance provided here to help plan inventory improvements and communicate with experts in theseareas.

3A.2.1U SE OF DATA PREPARED FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Two types of available databases may be used to classify land. In many countries, national datasets of the typediscussed below will be available. Otherwise, inventory compilers may use international datasets. Both types of
databases are described below.

NATIONAL DATABASES
These will usually be based on existing data, updated annually or periodically. Typical sources of data include
forest inventories, agricultural census and other surveys, censuses for urban and natural land, land registry data
and maps.

INTERNATIONAL DATABASES
Several projects have been undertaken to develop international land-use and land cover datasets at regional to
global scales (Annex 3A.1 lists some of these datasets). Almost all of these datasets are stored as raster data
generated using different kinds of satellite remote sensing imagery, complemented by ground reference dataobtained by field survey or comparison with existing statistics/maps. These datasets can be used for:•Estimating spatial distribution of land-use categories. Conventional inventories usually provide only the
total sum of land-use area by classes. Spatial distribution can be reconstructed using international land-use
and land cover data as auxiliary data where national data are not available.

•

Reliability assessment of the existing land-use datasets. Comparison between independent national andinternational datasets can indicate apparent discrepancies, and understanding these may increase confidence
in national data and/or improve the usability of the international data, if required for purposes such as
extrapolation.

•

When using an international dataset, inventory compilers should consider the following:(i) The classification scheme (e.g., definition of land-use classes and their relations) may differ from that in
the national system. The equivalence between the classification systems used by the country and thesystems described in Section 3.2 (Land-use categories) therefore needs to be established by contacting
the international agency and comparing their definitions with those used nationally.
(ii) Spatial resolution (typically 1km nominally but sometimes an order of magnitude more in practice) may
be coarse, so national data may need aggregating to improve comparability.
(iii) Classification accuracy and errors in geo-referencing may exist, though several accuracy tests areusually conducted at sample sites. The agencies responsible should have details on classification
issues and tests undertaken.
(iv) As with national data, interpolation or extrapolation will probably be needed to develop estimates forthe time periods to match the dates required for reporting.

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3A.2.2C OLLECTION OF NEW DATA BY SAMPLING METHODS

Sampling techniques for estimating areas and area changes are applied in situations where total tallies by direct
measurements in the field or assessments by remote sensing techniques are not feasible or would provide
inaccurate results. Sampling concepts that allow for estimation procedures that are consistent and unbiased, andresult in estimates that are precise, should be used.
Sampling usually involves a set of sampling units that are located on a regular grid within the inventory area. A
land-use class is then assigned to each sampling unit. Sampling units can be used to derive the proportions ofland-use categories within the inventory area. Multiplying the proportions by the total area provides estimates of
the area of each land-use category. Where the total area is not known it is assumed that each sampling unit
represents a specific area. The area of the land-use category can then be estimated via the number of sampling
units that fall into this category.
Where sampling for areas is repeated at successive occasions, area changes over time can be derived to constructland-use conversion matrices.
Applying a sample-based type for area assessment enables the calculation of sampling errors and confidence
intervals that quantify the reliability of the area estimates in each category. Confidence intervals can be used toverify if observed category area changes are statistically significant and reflect meaningful changes.
Annex 3A.3 provides more information on sampling.

3A.2.3

C OLLECTION OF NEW DATA IN COMPLETE INVENTORIES

A complete inventory of land use of all areas in a country will entail obtaining maps of land use throughout thecountry at regular intervals. This can be achieved by using remote sensing techniques. As outlined under
Approach 3, the data will be most easily used in a GIS based on a set of grid cells or polygons supported byground truth data needed to achieve unbiased interpretation. Coarser scale data can be used to build data for thewhole country or appropriate regions.
A complete inventory can also be achieved by surveying all landowners and each would need to provide suitabledata where they own many different blocks of land. Inherent problems in the method include obtaining data at
scales smaller than the size of the owner’s land as well as difficulties with ensuring complete coverage with nooverlaps.

3A.2.4

T OOLS FOR DATA COLLECTIONREMOTE SENSING (RS) TECHNIQUES
Remotely sensed data, as discussed here, are those acquired by sensors (optical, radar or lidar) onboard satellites,or by cameras equipped with optical or infrared films, installed in aircraft. These data are usually classified toprovide estimates of the land cover and its corresponding area, and usually require ground survey data to provide
an estimate of the classification accuracy. Classification can be done either by visual analysis of the imagery or
photographs, or by digital (computer-based) methods. The strengths of remote sensing come from its ability toprovide spatially-explicit information and repeated coverage, including the possibility of covering large and/or
remote areas that are difficult to access otherwise. Archives of past remote sensing data also span several
decades and can therefore be used to reconstruct past time-series of land cover and land use. The challenge of
remote sensing is related to the problem of interpretation: the images need to be translated into meaningful
information on land cover and land use. Depending on the satellite sensor, the acquisition of data may be
impaired by the presence of atmospheric clouds and haze. Another concern, particularly when comparing dataover long time periods, is that remote sensing systems may change. Remote sensing is particularly useful for
obtaining area estimates of land cover and land-use categories and for assisting in the identification of relatively
homogeneous areas that can guide the selection of sampling schemes and the number of samples to be collected.

Types of remote sensing (RS) data
The most commonly used types of RS data are: 1) aerial photographs, 2) satellite imagery using visible and/or
near-infrared bands, 3) satellite or airborne radar imagery and, 4) lidar. Combinations of different types ofremote sensing data (e.g., visible/infrared and radar; different spatial or spectral resolutions) might very well be
used for assessing different land-use categories or regions. A complete remote sensing system for tracking landuse conversions can include many sensor and data type combinations at a variety of resolutions.

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Important criteria for selecting remote sensing data and products are:•

Adequate land-use categorisation scheme;•

Appropriate spatial resolution;•

Appropriate temporal resolution for estimating of land-use conversion;•

Availability of accuracy assessment;•

Transparent methods applied in data acquisition and processing; and•Consistency and availability over time.

1. Aerial photographs

Analysis of aerial photographs can reveal forest tree species and forest structure from which relative age
distribution and tree health (e.g., needle loss in coniferous forests, leaf loss and stress in deciduous forests) may
be inferred. In agriculture, analysis can show crop species, crop stress, and tree cover in agro-forestry systems.
The smallest spatial unit possible to assess depends on the type of aerial photos used, but for standard products it
is often as small as 1 square metre.

2. Satellite images in visible and near infrared wavelengths

Complete land use or land cover of large areas (national or regional) may be facilitated by the use of satellite
images. The possibility exists of obtaining long time-series of data from the desired area since the satellite
continuously and regularly passes over it. The images usually generate a detailed mosaic of distinct categories,
but the labelling into proper land cover and land-use categories commonly requires ground reference data frommaps or field surveys. The smallest unit to be identified depends on the spatial resolution of the sensor and thescale of work. The most common sensor systems have a spatial resolution of 20 – 30 metres. At a spatial
resolution of 30 metres, for example, units as small as 1ha can be identified. Data from higher resolution
satellites are also available.

3. Radar imagery

The most common type of radar data are from the so-called Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems that
operate at microwave frequencies. A major advantage of such systems is that they can penetrate clouds and haze,
and acquire data during night-time. They may therefore be the only reliable source of remote sensing data inmany areas of the world with quasi-permanent cloud cover. By using different wavelengths and different
polarisations, SAR systems may be able to distinguish land cover categories (e.g., forest/non-forest), or thebiomass content of vegetation, although there are at present some limitations at high biomass due to signal
saturation.

4. LidarLight detection and ranging (lidar) uses the same principles as radar. The lidar instrument transmits light out to atarget. The transmitted light interacts with and is changed by the target. Some of this light is reflected/scattered
back to the instrument where it is analysed. The change in the properties of the light enables some property ofthe target to be determined. The time for the light to travel out to the target and back to the lidar is used todetermine the range to the target. There are three basic types of lidar: range finders, differential absorption lidar,and doppler.

Ground reference data
In order to make use of remote sensing data for inventories, and in particular to relate land cover to land use it isgood practice to complement the remotely sensed data with ground reference data (often called ground truthdata). Ground reference data can either be collected independently, or be obtained from forest or agricultural
inventories. Land uses that are rapidly changing over the estimation period or that have vegetation cover known
to be easily misclassified should be more intensively ground-truthed than other areas. This can only be done byusing ground reference data, preferably from actual ground surveys collected independently. High-resolution
photographs may also be useful.

Integration of remote sensing and GIS
Visual interpretation of images is often used for identifying sampling sites for forestry inventories. The method
is simple, and reliable. However, it is labour intensive and therefore restricted to limited areas, and may beaffected by subjective interpretations by different operators.
Full use of remote sensing generally requires integration of the extensive coverage that remote sensing canprovide with ground-based point measurements or map data to represent areas associated with particular land

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uses in space and time. This is generally achieved most cost effectively using a geographical information system(GIS).

Land cover classification using remotely sensed data
Classification of land cover using remotely sensed data may be done by visual or digital (computer based)
analysis. Each one presents advantages and disadvantages. Visual analysis of imagery allows for humaninference through the evaluation of overall characteristics of the scene (analysis of the contextual aspects in theimage). Digital classification, on the other hand, allows several manipulations to be performed with the data,such as merging of different spectral data, which can help to improve modelling of the biophysical ground data(such as tree diameter, height, basal area, biomass) using the remotely sensed data. In addition, digital analysis
allows for the immediate computation of areas associated with the different land categories. It has developed
rapidly over the past decade, along with the associated technical computer development, making hardware,
software and also the satellite data readily available at low cost in most countries, although capacity to use thesedata and facilities may have to be outsourced, particularly in mapping at national level.

Detection of land-use conversion using RS
Remote sensing can be used to detect locations of change. Methods for change detection can be divided into two
categories (Singh, 1989):
Post-classification change detection: This refers to techniques where two or more predefined land cover/use
classifications exist from different points in time, and where the changes are detected, usually by subtraction of
the datasets. The techniques are straightforward but are also sensitive to inconsistencies in interpretation andclassification of the land-use categories.
Pre-classification change detection: This refers to more sophisticated and biophysical approaches to change
detection. Differences between spectral response data from two or more points in time are compared bystatistical methods and these differences are used to provide information on land cover/use changes. This type isless sensitive to interpretation inconsistencies and can detect much more subtle changes than the postclassification approaches, but is less straightforward and requires access to the original remotely sensed data.
There are also other viable methods. For example, one can use change enhancements and visual interpretation.
Areas of change are highlighted through display of different band combinations, band differences or derived
indices (e.g., vegetation indices). This focuses attention on potential land-use conversions sites that can then bedelineated and attributed through manual or automated techniques. These methods are subject to humaninterpreter inconsistencies, but are capable of detecting subtle changes and better detecting and mapping land-use
conversion where land cover, context and ancillary information is needed to determine land-use conversion.

Evaluation of mapping accuracy
Whenever a map of land cover or land use is being used, inventory compilers should acquire information about
the reliability of the map. When such maps are generated from classification of remote sensing data, it should berecognised that the reliability of the map is likely to vary between the different land categories. Some categories
may be uniquely distinguished while others may be confounded with others. For example, coniferous forest isoften more accurately classified than deciduous forest because its reflectance characteristics are more distinct,
while deciduous forest may easily be confounded with, for example, Grassland or Cropland. Similarly, it is often
difficult to ascertain changes in land management practices through remote sensing. For example, it may bedifficult to detect a change from intensive to reduced tillage on a specific land area.
Inventory compilers should estimate the accuracy of land-use/land cover maps on a category-by-category basis.
A number of sample points on the map and their corresponding real world categories are used to create a
confusion matrix (see footnote 5 in Annex 3A.4) with the diagonal showing the proportion of correct
identification and the off-diagonal elements showing the relative proportion of misclassification of a land
category into one of the other possible categories. The confusion matrix expresses not only the accuracy of themap but it is also possible to assess which categories are easily confounded with each other. Based on the
confusion matrix, a number of accuracy indices can be derived (Congalton, 1991). Multi-temporal analysis(analysis of images taken at different times to determine the stability of land-use classification) can also be used
to improve classification accuracy, particularly in cases where ground truth data are limited.

GROUND-BASED SURVEYS
Ground-based surveys may be used to gather and record information on land use, and for use as independent
ground-truth data for remote sensing classification. Prior to the advent of remote sensing techniques such as
aerial photography and satellite imagery, ground-based surveys were the only means of generating maps. The
process is essentially one of visiting the area under study and recording visible and/or other physical attributes of

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the landscape for mapping purposes. Digitisation of boundaries and symbolising attributes are used to make hard
copy field notes and historical maps useful in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This is done via
protocols on minimum land area delineation and attribute categorization that are linked to the scale of theresultant map and its intended use.
Very precise measurements of area and location can be made using a combination of survey equipment such as
theodolites, tape measures, distance wheels and electronic distance measuring devices. Development of Global
Positioning Systems (GPS) means that location information can be recorded in the field directly into electronic
format using portable computer devices. Data are downloaded to an office computer for registration andcoordination with other layers of information for spatial analysis.
Landowner interviews and questionnaires are used to collect socio-economic and land management information,
but may also provide data on land use and land-use conversion. With this census type, the data collection agency
depends on the knowledge and records of landowners (or users) to provide reliable data. Typically, the resident
is visited and interviewed by a representative of the collection agency and data are recorded in a predetermined
format, or a questionnaire is issued to the land user for completion. The respondent is usually encouraged to use
any relevant records or maps they may have, but questions may also be used to elicit information directly(Swanson et al., 1997).
Census surveys are probably the oldest form of data collection methods (Darby, 1970). Land user surveys can be
conducted on the entire population or a sample of suitable size. Modern applications employ a full range ofvalidation and accuracy assessment techniques. The survey may be undertaken through personal visits, telephoneinterviews (often with computer-assisted prompts) or mail-out questionnaires. Land user surveys start with theformulation of data and information needs into a series of simple and clear questions soliciting concise andunequivocal responses. The questions are tested on a sample of the population in order to ensure that they are
understandable and to identify any local technical terminology variations. For sample applications, the entire
study area is spatially stratified by appropriate ecological and/or administrative land units, and by significant
categorical differences within the population (e.g., private versus corporate, large versus small, pulp versus
lumber, etc.). For responses dealing with land areas and management practices, some geographic location,
whether precise coordinates, cadastral description or at least ecological or administrative units should be requiredof the respondent. Post-survey validation of results is conducted by searching for statistical anomalies,
comparing with independent data sources, conducting a sample of follow-up verification questionnaires or
conducting a sample of on-site verification surveys. Finally, presentation of results must follow the initialstratification parameters.

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Annex 3A.3
3A.3.1

Sampling

I NTRODUCTION

Data on land use are often obtained from sample surveys and typically are used for estimating changes in land
use or in carbon stocks. National forest inventories are important examples of the type of surveys used. Thissection provides guidance for the use of data from sample surveys for the reporting of emissions and removals ofgreenhouse gases, and for the planning of sample surveys in order to acquire data for this purpose.

3A.3.2O VERVIEW ON SAMPLING PRINCIPLES

Sampling infers information about an entire population by observing a fraction of it: the sample (see Figure
3A.3.1). For example, changes of carbon in tree biomass at regional or national levels can be estimated from thegrowth, mortality and cuttings of trees on a limited number of sample plots. Sampling theory then provides themeans for scaling up the information from the sample plots to the selected geographical level. Properly designed
sampling can greatly increase efficiency in the use of inventory resources. Furthermore, field sampling is generally
needed in developing inventories because, even if remote sensing data provide complete territorial coverage, there
will be a need for ground-based data from sample sites for interpretation and verification.
Figure 3A.3.1

Principle of sampling

Selection

Population
SampleInference
Standard sampling theory relies on random selection of a sample from the population; each unit in the population
has a specific probability of being included in the sample. This is the case when sample plots have been
distributed entirely at random within an area, or when plots have been distributed in a systematic grid system aslong as the positioning of the grid is random. Random sampling reduces the risk of bias and allows for an
objective assessment of the uncertainty of the estimates. Therefore, randomly sampled data generally should be
used where available, or when setting up new surveys.
Samples may also be taken at subjectively chosen locations, which are assumed to be representative for the
population. This is called subjective (or purposive) sampling and data from such surveys are often used ingreenhouse gas inventories (i.e., when observations from survey sites that were not selected randomly are used torepresent an entire land category or strata). Under these conditions, observations about, for example, forest typemight be extrapolated to areas for which they are not representative. However, due to limited resources
greenhouse gas inventories may need to make use of data also from subjectively selected sites or research plots.
In this case, it is good practice to identify, in consultation with the agencies responsible for the sites or plots, theland areas for which the subjective samples can be regarded as representative.

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3A.3.3

S AMPLING DESIGN

Sampling design determines how the sampling units (the sites or plots) are selected from the population and thus
what statistical estimation procedures should be applied to make inferences from the sample. Random sampling
designs can be divided into two main groups, depending on whether or not the population is stratified (i.e., subdivided before sampling) using auxiliary information. Stratified surveys will generally be more efficient in termsof what accuracy can be achieved at a certain cost. On the other hand, they tend to be slightly more complex,
which increases the risk of non- sampling errors due to incorrect use of the collected data. Sampling designs
should aim for a good compromise between simplicity and efficiency, and this can be promoted by following
three aspects as set out below:•

Use of auxiliary data and stratification;•

Systematic sampling;•

Permanent sample plots and time-series data.

Use of auxiliary data and stratification
One of the most important sampling designs which incorporate auxiliary information is stratification, whereby
the population is divided into subpopulations on the basis of auxiliary data. These data may consist ofknowledge of legal, administrative boundaries or boundaries of forest administrations which will be efficient tosample separately, or maps or remote sensing data distinguishing between upland and lowland areas or between
different ecosystem types. Since stratification is intended to increase efficiency, it is good practice to use
auxiliary data when such data are available or can be made available at low additional cost.
Stratification increases efficiency in two main ways: (i) by improving the accuracy of the estimate for the entire
population; and (ii) by ensuring that adequate results are obtained for certain subpopulations, e.g., for certain
administrative regions.
On the first issue, stratification increases sampling efficiency if a sub-division of the population is made so thatthe variability between units within a stratum is reduced as compared to the variability within the entire
population. For example, a country may be divided into a lowland region (with certain features of the land-use
categories of interest) and an upland region (with different features of the corresponding categories). If eachstratum is homogeneous a precise overall estimate can be obtained using only a limited sample from eachstratum. The second issue is important for purposes of providing results at a specific degree of accuracy for all
administrative regions of interest, but also in case sampled data are to be used together with other existingdatasets, which have been collected using different protocols with the same administrative or legal boundaries.
Use of remote sensing or map data for identifying the boundaries of the strata (the land-use class sub-divisions to
be included in a sample survey) can introduce errors where some areas may be incorrectly classified as
belonging to the stratum whilst other areas that do belong to the specific class are missed. Errors of this kind canlead to substantial bias in the final estimates, since the area identified for sampling will then not correspond to
the target population. Whenever there is an obvious risk that errors of this kind may occur, it is good practice tomake an assessment of the potential impact of such errors using ground truth data.
When data for the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions or removals are taken from existing large- scaleinventories, such as national forest inventories, it is convenient to apply the standard estimation procedures ofthat inventory, as long as they are based on sound statistical principles. In addition, post- stratification (i.e.,
defining strata based on remote sensing or map auxiliary data after the field survey has been conducted) meansthat it may be possible to use new auxiliary data to increase efficiency without changing the basic field design(Dees et al., 1998). Using this estimation principle, the risk for bias pointed out in the previous paragraph also
can be reduced.

Systematic sampling
Sample based forest or land-use surveys generally make use of sample points or plots on which thecharacteristics of interest are recorded. One important issue here regards the layout of these points or plots. It is
often appropriate to allocate the plots in small clusters in order to minimise travel costs when covering large
areas with a sample based survey. With cluster sampling, the distance between plots should be large enough to
avoid major between-plot correlation, taking (for forest sampling) stand size into account. An important issue iswhether plots (or clusters of plots) should be laid out entirely at random or systematically using a regular grid,
which is randomly located over the area of interest (see Figure 3A.3.2). In general, it is efficient to use
systematic sampling, since in most cases this will increase the precision of the estimates. Systematic sampling
also simplifies the fieldwork.

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Figure 3A.3.2

Simple random layout of plots (left) and systematic layout (right)

Somewhat simplified, the reason why systematic random sampling generally is superior to simple random
sampling is that sample plots will be distributed evenly to all parts of the target area. 3 With simple random
sampling, some parts of an area may have many plots while other parts will not have any plots at all.

Permanent sample plots and time-series data
Greenhouse gas inventories must assess both current state and changes over time (e.g., in areas of land-use
categories and carbon stocks). Assessment of changes is most important and it involves repeated sampling overtime. The time interval between measurements should be determined based on the frequency of the events thatcause changes, and also on the reporting requirements. Generally, sampling intervals of 5-10 years are adequate,
and in many countries data from well designed surveys are already available for many decades, especially in theforest sector. Nevertheless, since estimates for the reporting are required on an annual basis, interpolation andextrapolation methods will need to be applied. Where sufficiently long time-series are not available, it may benecessary to extrapolate backwards in time to capture the dynamics of carbon stock changes.
When undertaking repeated sampling, the required data regarding the current state of areas or carbon stocks areassessed on each occasion. Changes are then estimated by calculating the difference between the state at time (t + 1)
from the state at time t. Three common sampling designs can be used for change estimation:•

The same sampling units are used on both occasions (permanent sampling units);•

Different, independent sets of sampling units are used on both occasions (temporary sampling units);•

Some sampling units can be replaced between occasions while others remain the same (sampling withpartial replacement).

Figure 3A.3.3 shows these three Approaches.
Figure 3A.3.3

Use of different configurations of permanent and temporary sampling units
for estimating changes

Identical set

Independent sets

Sampling with partial replacement(permanent plots)(temporary plots)(permanent and temporary plots)

Sampling unit measured at occasion 1
Sampling unit measured at occasion 2

3

In unusual cases when there is a regular pattern in the terrain that may coincide with the systematic grid system, systematic
sampling may lead to less precise estimates than simple random sampling. However, such potential problems generally canbe handled by orienting the grid system in another direction.

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Permanent sample plots generally are more efficient in estimating changes than temporary plots because it iseasier to distinguish actual trends from differences that are only due to changed plot selection. However, there
are also some risks in the use of permanent sample plots. If the locations of permanent sample plots become
known to land managers (e.g., by visibly marking the plots), there is a risk that management of the permanentplots will differ from the management of other areas. If this occurs, the plots will no longer be representative andthere is an obvious risk that the results will be biased. If it is perceived that there might be a risk of the above
kind, it is good practice to assess some temporary plots as a control sample in order to determine if theconditions on these plots deviate from the conditions on the permanent plots.
The use of sampling with partial replacement can address some of the potential problems with relying on
permanent plots, because it is possible to replace sites that are believed to have been treated differently.
Sampling with partial replacement may be used, although the estimation procedures are complicated (Scott andKöhl, 1994; Köhl et al., 1995).
When only temporary plots are used, overall changes still can be estimated but it will no longer be possible tostudy land-use conversions between different categories unless a time dimension can be introduced into thesample. This can be done by drawing on auxiliary data, for example maps, remote sensing or administrative
records about the state of land in the past. This will introduce additional uncertainty into the assessment which it
may be difficult to quantify other than by expert judgement.

3A.3.4

S AMPLING METHODS FOR AREA ESTIMATION

Many approaches for assessing land-use areas or conversions in areas of land use rely on sampling. Areas andchanges in areas can be estimated in two different ways using sampling:•

Estimation via proportions;•

Direct estimation of area.

The first approach requires that the total area of the survey region is known, and that the sample survey provides
only the proportions of different land-use category. The second approach does not require the total area to be
known.
Both approaches require assessment of a given number of sampling units located in the inventory area. Selectionof sampling units may be performed using simple random sampling or systematic sampling (see Figure 3A.3.2).
Systematic sampling generally improves the precision of the area estimates, especially when the different landuse classes occur in large patches. Stratification also may be applied to improve the efficiency of the area
estimates; in this case it is good practice to perform the procedures described below independently in eachstratum.
In estimating proportions it is assumed that the sampling units are dimensionless points, although a small areaaround each point must be considered when the land-use category is determined. Sample plots may also be used
for area estimation, although this principle is not further elaborated here.

3A.3.5

E STIMATION OF AREAS VIA PROPORTIONS

The total area of an inventory region is generally known. In this case the estimation of the areas of different landuse categories can be based on assessments of area proportions. When applying this approach, the inventory area
is covered by a certain number of sample points, and land use is determined for each point. The proportion ofeach land-use category then is calculated by dividing the number of points located in the specific category by the
total number of points. Area estimates for each land-use category are obtained by multiplying the proportion ofeach category by the total area.
Table 3A.3.1 provides an example of this procedure. The standard error of an area estimate is obtainedas A (p i • (1 − p i )) (n − 1) , where pi is the proportion of points in the particular land-use category i; A the known
total area, and n the total number of sample points. 4 The 95% confidence interval for Ai, the estimated area ofland-use category i, will be given approximately by ±2 times the standard error.

4

Note that this formula is only approximate when systematic sampling is applied.

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TABLE 3A.3.1
EXAMPLE OF AREA ESTIMATION VIA PROPORTIONS
Sampling procedure

Estimation of
proportions

Estimated areas of land-use
category

Standard error

pi = ni / n

Ai = pi · As(Ai)p1 = 3/ 9 ≅ 0.333

A1 = 300 has(A1)= 150.0 ha

p2 = 2/ 9 ≅ 0.222

A2 = 200 has(A2)= 132.2 ha

p3 = 4/ 9 ≅ 0.444

A3 = 400 has(A3)= 158.1 ha

Sum = 1.0

Total = 900 ha

Where:
A= total area (= 900 ha in the example)

Ai = estimated area of land-use category ini= number of points located in land-use category in= total number of points

Estimates of land-use conversion areas can be made by introducing categories of the type Aij where land use isconverted from category i to category j between successive surveys.

3A.3.6

D IRECT ESTIMATION OF AREA

Whenever the total inventory area is known, it is efficient to estimate areas, and area changes, via assessment ofproportions, since that procedure will result in the highest accuracy. In cases where the total inventory area is notknown or is subject to unacceptable uncertainty, an alternative procedure that involves a direct assessment ofareas under different land-use classes can be applied. This approach can only be used when systematic samplingis applied; each sample point will represent an area corresponding to the size of the grid cell of the sample layout.
For example, when sample points are selected from a square systematic grid with 1000 metres distance between
the points, each sample point will represent an area of 1 km ● 1 km = 100 ha. Thus, if 15 plots fall within a
specific land-use class of interest the area estimate will be 15 ● 100 ha = 1500 ha.

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Annex 3A.4

Overview of potential methods for developing
Approach 3 datasets

Figure 3A.4.1

Overview of Approach 3: Direct and repeated assessments of land use fromfull spatial coverage

Description
Under Approach 3 the country is sub-divided into spatial units such as grid cells or small polygons. In thisexample grid cells are used for sub-division of the area. The grid cells may be sampled by remote sensing
and/or ground survey, in order to establish the areas of the land use whose estimated extent is shown by thegrey lines below the grid. Remote sensing can also enable complete coverage of all grid cells (Figure
3A.4.1A) in the interpretation of land use. Ground surveys can be carried out in a sample of grid cells andcan be used to establish land use directly, as well as to help interpret remotely sensed data. The sample ofgrid cells can be distributed regularly (Figure 3A.4.1B) or irregularly (Figure 3A.4.1C), for example, togive greater coverage where land-use conversion is more likely. Generalised maps can be prepared using
the grid cells, which can also be aggregated into polygons (Figure 3A.4.1D). The final result of theApproach can result in either a tabular or spatially-explicit land-use conversion matrix.

Time 1Time 2

Figure 3A.4.1A Remote sensing can also enable complete coverage of all grid cells.

G
G
G
G

G
G
G
G
G
F

G
G
G
G
F
F
F

G
F
F
F
F
F

F
F
F
F
C
F

F
C
C
C
C

C
C
C
C
C

C
S

C
S

C
C

G
G
G
G

G
G
G
G
G
G

F
F
G
G
G
G
G

F
F
F
F
G
G

F
F
F
F
C
C

C
C
C
C
C

C
C
C
C
C

S
S

S
S

C
C

Figure 3A.4.1B The sample of grid cells can be distributed regularly

G
G

G
G
G

G
G
F

G
F
F

F
F
F

C
C

C
C

S

C

C

C

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

G
G

G
G
G

F
G
G

F
F
G

F
F
C

C
C

C
C

S

S

C

C

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land UseTime 1Time 2

Figure 3A.4.1C The sample of grid cells can be distributed irregularly

G
G

G

G

G
F

G
G
G
F

G
F
F

F

F
F

C

C
C
C
C

C
S

C
S

C

C

G
G

G

G

G
G

F

F
F
F

G
G
G

G

F
F

C

C
C
C
C

S
S

S
S

C

C

Figure 3A.4.1D Generalised maps can be prepared using the grid cells, which can also be aggregated into
polygons

G

F

C

F

S

F

G

S S
C

G
Note: F = Forest Land, G = Grassland, C = Cropland, W = Wetlands, S = Settlements, O = Other Land

When using Approach 3, inventory compilers should:•

Use a sampling strategy consistent with the advice provided in this chapter. This strategy should ensure thatthe data are unbiased and can be scaled up where necessary. The number and location of the sampling units
may need to change over time in order to remain representative.

•

Where remote sensing data are used, develop a method for its interpretation into land categories using
ground reference data as set out in this chapter (Remote sensing techniques). Care should be taken tocorrectly assign land cover information obtained through imagery, into land-use category. Conventional
forest inventories or other survey data can be used for this. It is necessary to avoid possible misclassificationof land types and map accuracy established by means of ground reference or very high resolution remotelysensed data. The conventional technique is to establish a matrix 5 showing, for any given classification ofland, the proportion of misclassification as one of the other candidate classifications.

•

Construct confidence intervals for those land category areas and changes in area that will be used in theestimation of carbon stock changes, emissions and removals.

•

Derive summary tables of the national areas under different land-use conversion.

5

Sometimes called the confusion matrix.

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2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Annex 3A.5

Default climate and soil classifications

Climate regions are classified in order to apply emission and stock change factors for estimating biomass, deadorganic matter and soil C stock changes. The default climate classification is provided in Figure 3A.5.1 and canbe derived using the classification scheme in Figure 3A.5.2. This classification should be used for Tier 1
methods because the default emission and stock change factors were derived using this scheme. Note thatclimate regions are further subdivided into ecological zones to apply the Tier 1 method for estimating biomass C
stock changes (see Table 4.1, Chapter 4). Inventory compilers have the option of developing a country-specificclimate classification if using Tier 2 and 3 methods, along with country-specific emission and stock change
factors. It is good practice to apply the same classification, either default or country-specific, across all land-use
types. Thus, stock change and emission factors are assigned to each pool in a national inventory using a uniform
classification of climate.
Soils are classified in order to apply reference C stocks and stock change factors for estimation of soil C stockchanges, as well as the soil N2O emissions (i.e., organic soils must be classified to estimate N2O emissions
following drainage). Organic soils are found in wetlands or have been drained and converted to other land-use
types (e.g., Forest Land, Cropland, Grassland, Settlements). Organic soils are identified on the basis of criteria 1
and 2, or 1 and 3 listed below (FAO 1998):
1.

Thickness of organic horizon greater than or equal to 10 cm. A horizon of less than 20 cm must have 12
percent or more organic carbon when mixed to a depth of 20 cm.

2.

Soils that are never saturated with water for more than a few days must contain more than 20 percent
organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 35 percent organic matter).

3.

Soils are subject to water saturation episodes and has either:a.

At least 12 percent organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 20 percent organic matter) if the soil has noclay; orb.

At least 18 percent organic carbon by weight (i.e., about 30 percent organic matter) if the soil has
60% or more clay; orc.

An intermediate, proportional amount of organic carbon for intermediate amounts of clay.

All other types of soils are classified as mineral. A default mineral soil classification is provided in Figure
3A.5.3 for categorizing soil types based on the USDA taxonomy (USDA, 1999) and Figure 3A.5.4 for the World
Reference Base for Soil Resources Classification (FAO, 1998) (Note: Both classifications produce the samedefault IPCC soil types). The default mineral soil classification should be used with Tier 1 methods because
default reference C stock and stock change factors were derived according to these soil types. Inventory
compilers have the option of developing a country-specific classification for mineral and/or organic if applying
Tiers 2 and 3 methods, in combination with developing country-specific reference C stocks and stock change
factors (or emission factors in the case of organic soils). It is good practice to use the same classification of soils
across all land-use types.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

Figure 3A.5.1

Delineation of major climate zones, updated from the 1996 IPCC Guidelines.

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Figure 3A.5.2

Classification scheme for default climate regions. The classification is basedon elevation, mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation(MAP), mean annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration ratio(MAP:PET), and frost occurrence.

MAT>18°C
and ≤ 7 days offrost/year

Start

MAT > 10°C?

No

Yes

TropicalMontane

Yes

Yes
Warm
Temperate
Moist

Elevation>1000m?

Yes

MAP : PET
>1?
No
No

No

Tropical Wet

Yes

Warm
Temperate
Dry

MAP>
2000mm?

No

Tropical Moist

Yes

MAT
>0°C?

MAP ≤
2000 mm and>1000mm?
No

Yes
No

MAP : PET
>1?

Tropical Dry

Yes

Cool
Temperate
Moist

No
Cool
Temperate
Dry

Polar Moist

Yes

Yes
MAP : PET
>1?

Boreal Moist

Yes

Each Mean Monthly
Temperature<10°C?

No

MAP : PET
>1?

No

No

Polar Dry

Boreal Dry

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

Figure 3A.5.3

Classification scheme for mineral soil types based on USDA taxonomy

Greaterthan 70% sandand less than 8%
clay?

Start

Yes

Sandy Soils

Yes

Wetland Soils

Yes

Volcanic
Soils

Yes

Spodic Soils

No

Aquic
Soil?

No

Andisols?

No

Spodisols?

No

Low Activity
Clay Soils

3.40

No

Mollisols,
Vertisols, High-basestatus, Alfisols, Aridisols,
Inceptisols?

YesHigh Activity
Clay Soils

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Chapter 3: Consistent Representation of Lands

Figure 3A.5.4

Classification scheme for mineral soil types based on World Reference Basefor Soil Resources (WRB) classification.

Greaterthan 70% sandand less than 8%
clay?

Start

Yes

Sandy Soils

No

Gleysols?

Yes

Wetland Soils

Yes

Volcanic
Soils

Yes

Spodic Soils

No

Andisols?

No

Podzols?

No

Low Activity
Clay Soils

No

Leptosols,
Vertisols, Kastanozems,
Chernozems, Phaeozems,
Luvisols, Alisols, Albeluvisols, Solonetz,
Calcisols, Gypsisols,
Umbrisols, Cambisols,
Regosols?

2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Yes

High Activity
Clay Soils

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Volume 4: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

References
Congalton, R.G. (1991). A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote
Sensing of Environment 37(1), pp. 35-46.
Darby, H.C. (1970). Doomsday Book – The first land utilization survey. The Geographical Magazine 42(6), pp.
416 – 423.
FAO (1995). Planning for Sustainable use of Land Resources: Towards a New Type. Land and Water Bulletin 2,
Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome Italy, 60 pp.
IPCC (1997). Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Inventories. Houghton J.T., Meira Filho
L.G., Lim B., Tréanton K., Mamaty I., Bonduki Y., Griggs D.J. Callander B.A. (Eds). Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), IPCC/OECD/IEA, Paris, France.
Scott, C.T. and Kohl, M. (1994). Sampling with partial replacement and stratification. Forest Science 40 (1):3046.
Singh, A. (1989). Digital change detection techniques using remotely sensed data. Int. J. Remote Sensing 10(6),pp. 989 – 1003.
Swanson, B.E., Bentz, R.P. and Sofranco, A.J. (Eds.). (1997). Improving agricultural extension. A reference
manual. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
USGS (2001). http://edcdaac.usgs.gov/glcc/

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2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories