Glossary

GLOSSARY2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

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Glossary

Accounting
The rules for comparing emissions and removals as reported with commitments.

Approach
The way in which areas are represented and reported for land-use categories, and conversions between land-use
categories, so that they are applied as appropriately and consistently as possible in inventory calculations. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies Approaches 1, 2 and 3 of increasing geographic
specificity.

Background level
Under default assumptions, in forests this is the mean annual level of emissions from natural disturbances,
excluding statistical outliers, during a period before the second commitment period, called the calibration period.
The intention of using such a background level is to exclude, under specific conditions set by Decision 2/CMP.71,
emissions from natural disturbances in forests that exceed the background level plus a margin from accounting
during the commitment period. Providing the expectation of net credits or debits is avoided, countries may
develop other types of background levels using their country-specific methods for excluding natural disturbanceemissions from accounting.

Base year
A year with a historical level of anthropogenic emissions or removals of greenhouse gases not controlled by theMontreal Protocol, that is used as a reference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change or the Kyoto Protocol.

Carbon Equivalent Forest Conversi on (CEFC)
The conversion of forest plantation to non-forest while simultaneously establishing a “Carbon Equivalent Forest”
on non-forest land elsewhere, under the terms of Decision 2/CMP.72. The “Carbon Equivalent Forest” must beof at least equal area and at least equal stock at the end of the normal harvesting cycle of the plantation forest
cleared, or a debit will be incurred under Article 3.4.
CEF-ne land: Land on which a Carbon Equivalent Forest is newly established as part of a Carbon Equivalent
Forest Conversion under the terms of Decision 2/CMP.7.
CEF-hc land: Land on which a forest plantation is harvested and converted to non-forest as part of a Carbon
Equivalent Forest Conversion under the terms of Decision 2/CMP.7.

Cropland
Arable and tillage land, and agro-forestry systems where vegetation falls below the threshold used for the Forest
Land category, consistent with the selection and application of national definitions.

Cropland Management 3
The system of practices on land on which agricultural crops are grown and on land that is set aside or
temporarily not used for crop production.

Elective activities
Article 3.4 activities that are not mandatory, but can be elected by a country for a commitment period. For thesecond commitment period, these are Cropland Management, Grazing Land Management, Revegetation, andWetland Drainage and Rewetting. Any 3.4 activities elected in the first commitment period are mandatory in thesecond commitment period.

Estimation

Inventory definition: The process of calculating emissions.

1

Paragraphs 33-36 of the Annex to Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2011/10/Add.1, p. 17-18.

2

Paragraphs 37-39 of the Annex to Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2011/10/Add.1, p. 19.

3

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry), cf.
paragraph 1 of the Annex to Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3, p.5.

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2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto ProtocolGlossary

Statistical definition: Estimation is the assessment of the value of a quantity or its uncertainty through theassignment of numerical observation values in an estimation formula, or estimator. The results of estimation canbe expressed as follows:a point estimation which provide a number which can be used as an approximation to a parameter (such as
the sample standard deviation which estimates the population standard deviation), oran interval estimate specifying a confidence level.

Example: A statement like ‘The total emission is estimated to be 100 kt and its coefficient of variation is 5%’ isbased upon point estimates of the sample mean and standard deviation, whereas a statement such as ‘The total
emission lies between 90 and 110 kt with probability 95%’ expresses the results of estimation as a confidence
interval.

Forest cover
Tree cover that meets or exceeds the country-specific thresholds for defining forest, consistent with Decisions
16/CMP.1 and 2/CMP.74.

Forested land
Land containing forest according to the country-specific definition of forest, consistent with Decisions 16/CMP
and 2/CMP.75.

Forest Management Reference Level (FMRL)
The value of annual net emissions and removals from Forest Management against which the net emissions andremovals reported for Forest Management will be compared for accounting purposes during the second
commitment period.

Georeferencing
Georeferencing is the process of identifying the physical location of a particular area of land (e.g. that subject to
Article 3.3 or 3.4 activities) in terms of map projections or coordinate systems. It determines the spatial locationof geographical features in terms of size and configuration.

Good practiceGood Practice is a set of procedures intended to ensure that greenhouse gas inventories are accurate in the sensethat they are systematically neither over- nor underestimates so far as can be judged, and that uncertainties are
reduced so far as practicable.
Good Practice covers choice of estimation methods appropriate to national circumstances, quality assurance andquality control at the national level, quantification of uncertainties and data archiving, and reporting to promotetransparency.

GrasslandThis category includes rangeland and pasture land that is not considered as Cropland. It also includes systems
with vegetation that fall below the threshold used in the Forest Land category and is not expected to exceed,
without human intervention, these thresholds. This category also includes all grasslands from wild land torecreational areas as well as agricultural and silvo-pastural systems, which are subdivided into managed andunmanaged land, consistent with national definitions.

Grazing Land Management 6
The system of practices on land used for livestock production aimed at manipulating the amount and type ofvegetation and livestock produced.

4

Paragraph 1 (a) of the Annex to Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3, p.5.

5Paragraph 1 (a) of the Annex to Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3, p.5.

6

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry), cf.
paragraph 1 of the Annex to Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3, p.5.

2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

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Glossary

Gross-net accounting
Accounting based on greenhouse gas emissions or removals in the reporting year, without subtracting base year
emissions or removals. This is the accounting method used for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Deforestation
activities under Article 3.3.

Half-life
The number of years it takes to lose one-half of the material currently in the carbon pool.

Hierarchical order
See Reporting Hierarchy.

Indirect effects
The effects on emissions by sources and removals by sinks caused by climate change, raised CO2 concentrations,age legacy, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. According to Decision 16/CMP.1 removal resulting fromindirect effects are to be excluded from accounting of LULUCF activities under Articles 3.3 and 3.4 of the
Kyoto Protocol7.

Interannual variability
The variation of GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks, or a shift from being a net sink to a net
source from year to year, caused by significant fluctuations or abrupt changes in environmental conditions due tonatural disturbances and climatic abnormality, such as wild fire, pest and pathogen attacks, drought, flooding,and extreme temperatures. Interannual variability in emissions and removals can also be caused by fluctuations
in human activities such as timber harvesting or land-use change.

Land 8The areas subject to the activities defined under Article 3.4, namely Forest Management, Cropland Management,
Grazing Land Management, Revegetation, and Wetland Drainage and Rewetting. The methodological treatmentof land identification in Chapter 4 of the GPG-LULUCF is the same for units of land (see below) and land. ThisKP Supplement unites the concepts to simplify the text.

Land rehabilitation
The process of returning land back to the state it was prior to a natural disturbance. This process can, but notnecessarily must, involve active management, planning or legal processes, or abstention from activities.

Management practiceAn action or set of actions that affect the land, the stocks of pools associated with it or otherwise affect theexchange of greenhouse gases with the atmosphere.

Mandatory activities
The activities defined under Article 3.3, namely Afforestation, Reforestation, and Deforestation, as wells as (forthe second commitment period) Forest Management, and those Article 3.4 activities that were elected by acountry in the previous commitment period.

Margin (for background level under Decision 2/CMP.7)
This is a specific value that is to be used, when needed, in combination with the background level to identify
years during the commitment period in which a country may exclude emissions from natural disturbances inforests from accounting, under specific conditions set by the Decision 2/CMP.7. Such years are those in whichemissions from natural disturbances in forests are larger than the background level plus the margin.

7

Paragraph 1(h) of Decision 16/CMP.1 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3, p.3.

8

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 15/CMP.1, cf. paragraph 6 of the Annex to Decision
15/CMP.1 contained in document FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.2, p.57.

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2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto ProtocolGlossary

Natural disturbances 9
The non-anthropogenic events or non-anthropogenic circumstances that cause significant emissions in forests
and are beyond the control of, and not materially influenced by, a Party. These may include wildfires, insect anddisease infestations, extreme weather events, and/or geological disturbances.

Net-net accounting
The greenhouse gas emissions or removals in the reporting year minus the greenhouse gas emissions or removals
in the base year. This is the accounting method for Grazing Land Management, Cropland Management,
Revegetation, and Wetland Drainage and Rewetting under Article 3.4.

Other Land
This category includes bare soil, rock, ice, and all unmanaged land areas that do not fall into any of the other fivecategories. It allows the total of identified land areas to match the national area, where data are available.

PastureGrassland planted and/or managed for grazing.

Planted forest
Land meeting the country definition of planted forest, which include forest plantations as defined in the 2006
IPCC Guidelines (Annex 4A.1, Chapter 4, Volume 4).

Remote sensing
The practice of acquiring and using data from satellites and aerial photography to infer or measure land cover orinfer land use. It may be used in combination with ground surveys for estimation, or to check the accuracy ofinterpretation.

Reporting
The process of providing estimates to the UNFCCC.

Reporting hierarchy
An ordered assignment of all activities under Article 3.3 and 3.4 and land subject to those activities. According
to Decision 2/CMP.610 and Decision 2/CMP.7, for reporting consistency and transparency, mandatory activities
take precedence over elective activities, Afforestation, Reforestation, and/or Deforestation activities takeprecedence over Forest Management activity. Parties determine the hierarchy among elected Article 3.4
activities. (See Section 1.2 for further explanation).

Reporting Method 1
The method of reporting information on geographical boundaries of areas encompassing lands subject to Article
3.3 and 3.4 activities that entails delineating areas that can include multiple lands subject to Article 3.3 and 3.4
activities by using legal, administrative, or ecosystem boundaries. This stratification is based on samplingtechniques, administrative data, or grids on images produced by remote sensing techniques. The identified
geographic boundaries must be georeferenced.

Reporting Method 2
The method of reporting information on geographical boundaries of areas encompassing lands subject to Article
3.3 and 3.4 activities that is based on the spatially-explicit and complete geographical identification of all lands
subject to Article 3.3 activities and all lands subject to Article 3.4 activities.

Salvage logging
The practice of harvesting and removing trees or parts of trees (living or dead) from disturbed areas. This
management activity is also known as salvage cutting, salvage harvesting, sanitation cutting, and otherdesignations. If it is conducted on areas which are not subject to the application of the natural disturbanceprovisions, it can be part of the regular forest management emissions and removals estimation and accounting

9

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry), cf.
paragraph 1 (a) of the Annex to Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2011/10/Add.1, p 13.

10

Decision 2/CMP.6 (The Cancun Agreements: Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2010/12/Add.1.

2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

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Glossary

framework, i.e. salvage logging would then be treated as harvest. In the case the Party chooses to exclude
emissions due to natural disturbances, it shall account for emissions associated with salvage logging11.

Technical Correction
The value of net emissions and removals, which is added, at the time of accounting, to the original Forest
Management Reference Level to ensure that accounted emissions and removals will not reflect the impact of
methodological inconsistencies. Information on Technical Correction and methodological consistency shall bereported as part of the annual GHG inventories and inventory reports.

Units of land 12
The areas subject to the activities defined under Article 3.3, namely Afforestation, Reforestation, andDeforestation. The methodological treatment of land identification in Chapter 4 of the GPG-LULUCF is thesame for units of land and land. This KP Supplement unites the concepts to simplify the text.

Wall-to-wall mapping
The complete spatial coverage of a land area, e.g. by satellite data.

wetland‘wetland’ is used to refer to land with a wet soil.

Wetland Drainage and Rewetting

13

A system of practices for draining and rewetting on land with organic soil that covers a minimum area of 1
hectare. The activity applies to all lands that have been drained since 1990 and to all lands that have beenrewetted since 1990 and that are not accounted for under any other activity as defined in Annex to Decision
2/CMP.7, where drainage is the direct human-induced lowering of the soil water table and rewetting is the direct
human-induced partial or total reversal of drainage.

11

Paragraph 33 (c) of the Annex to Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2011/10/Add.1, p.17.

12

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 15/CMP.1, cf. paragraph 6 of the Annex to Decision
15/CMP.1 contained in document FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.2, p.57.

13

In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, as stipulated by Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry), cf.
paragraph 1 (a) of the Annex to Decision 2/CMP.7 (Land use, land-use change and forestry) contained in document
FCCC/KP/CMP/2011/10/Add.1, p 13.

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2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

Abbreviations & Acronyms

ABBREVIATIONS AND
ACRONYMS

2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

A&A.1

Abbreviations & Acronyms

AR

Afforestation and Reforestation

C

Carbon

CDM

Clean Development Mechanism

CEF

Carbon Equivalent Forest

CEFC

Carbon Equivalent Forest Conversion

CEF-hcCarbon Equivalent Forest (harvested and converted)

CEF-neCarbon Equivalent Forest (newly established)

CER

Certified Emission Reduction

CH4

MethaneCM

Cropland Management

CMP

Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties

CO2

Carbon Dioxide

CP

Commitment Period

CRF

Common Reporting Format

D

Deforestation

DOM

Dead Organic Matter

EFI

European Forest InstituteEIT

Economies-in-Transition

ERU

Emission Reduction Unit

ESL

Estimated Service Life

EU

European Union

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

FAOSTAT

Database produced by the Statistics Division of the FAO

FL-FLForest Land Remaining Forest Land

FM

Forest Management

FMRL

Forest Management Reference Level

FMRLcorr

Recalculated Forest Management Reference Level

FODFirst-Order Decay

FT

Full Tillage

GHG

Greenhouse Gas

GM

Grazing Land Management

GPG2000

Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas
Inventories

GPG-LULUCF Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry
HS

Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System

HWP

Harvested Wood Products

IIASA

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

JFSQ

Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire

JRC

Joint Research Centre

KP

Kyoto Protocol

2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

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Abbreviations & Acronyms

LULUCF

Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry

N

Nitrogen

N 2O

Nitrous Oxide

ND

Natural Disturbance

NFI

National Forest Inventory

NH3

Ammonia

NIR

National Inventory Report

NOx

Nitrogen Oxides (NO and NO2)NPPNet Primary ProductionNT

No-till

QA/QC

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Rh

Heterotrophic Respiration

RMU

Removal Unit

RSL

Reference Service Life

RV

Revegetation

SBSTA

Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice

SDStandard Deviation

SOC

Soil Organic Carbon

SWDS

Solid Waste Disposal Sites

UNECE

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

WCO

World Customs Organization

WDR

Wetland Drainage and Rewetting

2013 Revised Supplementary Methods and Good Practice Guidance Arising from the Kyoto Protocol

A&A.3