JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
Joint Crediting Mechanism Approved Methodology LA_AM004“Reducing GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation through controlling
shifting cultivation in Phonxay District, Luang Prabang Province of Lao PDR”

A. Title of the methodology
Reducing GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation through controlling
shifting cultivation in Phonxay District, Luang Prabang Province of Lao PDR, Version 1.0
B. Terms and definitions
Terms

Definitions

Lao People’s Democratic

The national FREL/FRL is defined as the forest reference

Republic Forest Reference

emission level/forest reference level of Lao People’s

Emission Level and Forest

Democratic Republic (May 2018), which was submitted by

Reference Level for REDD+

the Government of Lao PDR to the UNFCCC secretariat

Results Payment under thethrough the official process of the technical assessment. The

UNFCCC (nationalreference period of the national FREL/FRL is from 2005 to

FREL/FRL (2018))

2014.

Forest Type Map

The forest type map is an official land cover/use map of the
Lao PDR which is used for establishing the national
FREL/FRL (2018) and is provided by the national forest
monitoring system.

Peat land

Peat land is an area with an accumulation of partly
decomposed organic matter, with ash content equal to or lessthan 35%, peat depth equal to deeper than 50 cm, and organiccarbon content (by weight) of at least 12% (Osaki et al.
20161).

C. Summary of the methodology
Items

Summary

Project activities (emission

Activities for reducing shifting cultivation pressures on forest

Osaki, M., Hirose, K., Segah, H., & Helmy, F. (2016). Tropical peat and peatland definition inIndonesia. In Tropical Peatland Ecosystems (pp. 137-147). Springer, Tokyo.
11JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
reduction /removal

resources by introducing alternative and suitable livelihoods

enhancement measures)

based on rural people’s capability.

Establishment of project-

The project reference level is calculated on the basis of theaverage net GHG emissions in the project area from 2005 toreference level

2014.
-

The net GHG emission from carbon stock change in project
area is calculated from the annual average of CO2 emissions
and removals to be provided by the Government of Lao
PDR. These values are consistent with the national
FREL/FRL.

-

Non-CO2 GHG emissions from biomass burning in project
area is considered following the 2006 IPCC Guidelines
although the source is not included in the national
FREL/FRL.

Calculation of project net Project net emissions are calculated by using 2 types of data;
emissions/removals

1)

CO2 emissions and removals from carbon stock change
during the monitoring period which will be provided by theGovernment of Lao PDR based on the national forest
monitoring system.

2)

GHG emissions from biomass burning, rice paddy
cultivation and fossil fuel consumption associated with the
project during the monitoring period are estimated bymethods following the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.

Monitoring parameters and -The national forest monitoring system monitors the land

methods

use/cover change. The analyzed data during the monitoring
period is provided by the Government of Lao PDR, in theform of CO2 emissions and removals from carbon stockchange.
-Area of rice paddy (wet rice paddy) is calculated based on
the land cover/use maps (the Forest Type Maps) analyzed
and provided by the Government of Lao PDR.

-

Quantity of fuel consumptions by agricultural heavymachines newly introduced by the project is collected frombusiness records in oil shop(s) in the project area andinformation from villagers using the participatory rural
appraisal (PRA).

Calculationofproject The default discount factor of 30%, as defined in the Joint2

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
emission

reductions

or Crediting Mechanism Guidelines for Developing Proposed

removals to be credited

Methodology for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation andForest Degradation, and the Role of Conservation, Sustainable
Management of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon
Stocks in Developing Countries (REDD-plus) (hereinafterreferred to as “the methodology guidelines”), is applied toproject emissions reductions to account for the risk of reversal.

D. Eligibility criteria
This methodology is applicable to projects that satisfy all of the following criteria.
Criterion 1

Project participants receive official data from the Government of Lao PDR,
such as the Forest Type Maps and carbon stock change emissions and removals
in the project area which are consistent with the national FREL/FRL and thenational forest monitoring system.

Criterion 2

The project is to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Project activity
in taking place within Phonxay District, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR,
where major drivers of deforestation and forest degradation are shifting
cultivation (i.e. slash-and-burn agriculture).

Criterion 3

There is no peat land in the project area.

Criterion 4

Project activities are implemented by collaboration among rural people andproject participant(s) who have been trained for alternative livelihood, which isevidenced by participants list or activity records.

Criterion 5

Project activities do not include activities which directly increase the numberof livestock.

Criterion 6

Project activities do not include any activities which cause displacement of
deforestation and/or forest degradation outside of the project area. That is to be
confirmed during the monitoring period by the PRA.

E. Geographical Boundaries
Essential
Geographical boundary

Requirements

Project area

No requirements in addition to those described in paragraphs 16
to 21 of the methodology guidelines ver01.0(JCM_LA_GL_PM_REDD+_ver01.0.pdf).

Reference area

The reference area is the same to the project area.

Optional boundaries

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Geographical boundary

Required(Y/N/TBD)

Additional requirements

Activity area

N

None

Displacement belt

N

None

TBD: to be decided by the project participant
F. Carbon pools and GHG sources
The net emission sources to be considered include all the following Carbon pools and GHG
sources.
Project reference level
Carbon pools and GHG sources

Included

Explanation(Y/N)

This pool is expected to contribute
Above groundYbiomass

significantly

toemissionsandemission reductions and is therefore
included.
This pool is expected to contribute

Below groundYbiomass

significantly to emissions andemission reductions and is therefore
included.
It is expected that this pool would

Carbon poolsN

Dead wood

have decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
It is expected that this pool would

N

Litterhave decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
It is expected that this pool would

N

Soil organic carbon

have decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
GHG emission from this source is toCH4 in biomass burning

be estimated.

GHG sources

GHG emission from this source is to

N2O in biomass burning

be estimated.

4

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
Project net emissions/removals
Carbon pools and GHG sources

Included

Explanation(Y/N)

This pool is expected to contribute
Above groundYbiomass

significantly

toemissionsandemission reductions and is therefore
included.
This pool is expected to contribute

Below groundYbiomass

significantly to emissions andemission reductions and is therefore
included.
It is expected that this pool would

Carbon poolsN

Dead wood

have decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
It is expected that this pool would

N

Litterhave decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
It is expected that this pool would

N

Soil organic carbon

have decreased in the absence of the
project and, therefore, it isconservatively excluded.
GHG emission from this source is toCH4 in biomass burning

be estimated.
GHG emission from this source is to

N2O in biomass burning
GHG sourcesbe estimated.

CH4 from paddy (wet paddy) area GHG emission from this source is toexpanded during the monitoring be estimated.
period.
CO2 emissions from energy use

GHG emission from this source is tofor agricultural heavy machines

be estimated.

newly introduced by the project
G. Establishment and calculation of project reference level
G.1. Establishment of project reference level

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Approach for estimating project The reference level is established based on carbon stockreference levelchange data to be provided by the Government of Lao
PDR and other GHG emissions in the project area.

The Government of Lao PDR submitted its proposed forest reference emission level/forest
reference level (national FREL/FRL) on 5 January 2018 to the UNFCCC secretariat. The
technical assessment on the proposed FREL/FRL was conducted by the experts and theGovernment of Lao PDR provided a modified version of its FREL/FRL submission on 28 May
2018, considering the technical inputs of the technical assessment. The national FREL/FRL forthe reference period 2005–2014 was emissions of 41,013,316 t CO2/year and removals of
7,533,558 t CO2/year in line with the modified submission and it is assumed to be valid for the
next 11 years (i.e. 2015–2025).
The methodology guidelines require to respect the national reference level or forest monitoring
system developed by the Government of Lao PDR, to apply the approach and procedures used
for the national reference level when developing the project reference level and to consider theapproach and procedures used in national forest monitoring system when establishing themonitoring system for the project. This methodology fully respects the national reference leveland forest monitoring system based on the consultations with the technical contact person for
REDD-plus under the JCM.
The project reference level is calculated from the CO2 emissions and removals by carbon stockchange (CSemission ref and CSremoval ref, respectively) and Non-CO2 GHG emissions (CH4 and N2O)
from biomass burning in the project reference area (= project area) during the reference period.
The CSemission ref and CSremoval ref are to be provided by the Government of Lao PDR, andestimated from activity data and emission factors used in the development of national
FREL/FRL.
The activity data (area changed) in the project reference area during the project reference period
and the monitoring period are derived from the Forest Type Maps in the project referencearea/project area developed with 5-year intervals (e.g., 2005, 2010, 2015). The land-use andland cover were classified into 20 classes including 8 forest types and grouped into five strata
as below.
➢

Stratum 1: evergreen forest➢

Stratum 2: mixed deciduous forest, conifer forest, and mixed coniferous and broadleaved forest➢

Stratum 3: dry dipterocarp forest

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Stratum 4: plantation, bamboo and regenerating vegetation➢

Stratum 5: 12 non-forest classes, including grasslands, rice paddies, urban areas, and barren
land and rock.

The activity data in a form of land transition matrix of the five strata in the referencearea/project area for the periods are to be developed by the Government of Lao PDR.
The emission factors are presented in the Table 4-2 of the national FREL/FRL. The emission(and removal) factors corresponding to transitions between two strata were difference in the
carbon stocks between the two strata. The forest carbon stocks were derived using the datafrom the second National Forest Inventory (NFI) conducted during the period 2015–2017
together with the default parameters provided in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. To calculate theabove-ground biomass stocks of the five strata of land classes, country-specific allometricequations were applied, while the root-to-shoot ratios provided in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines(vol. 4, chapter 4, table 4.4) were applied to calculate the below-ground biomass stocks.
Biomass stocks were converted into carbon stocks using the carbon fraction values (0.46 or
0.47 depending on the land class) provided in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines (vol. 4, chapter 4,table 4.3).
To estimate Non-CO2 GHG emissions (CH4 and N2O) from biomass burning in the projectreference area (= project area) during the reference period in a conservative manner, theminimum area of upland crop (UC) in all Forest Type Maps during the reference period isapplied as average burnt area during the reference period, and all the burnt area is assumed tohave been regenerating vegetation before being burned as the mass of fuel available for
combustion in regenerating vegetation is the smallest among all strata.
G.2. Calculation of project reference level1.

The project reference level is calculated as follows;

RLy = CSnet ref,y + Fireref,y(Equation 1)

Where:
RLy

Project reference level in year y [tCO2e/yr]

CSnet ref,y Net emissions/removals from carbon stock changes in above- and below-groundbiomass in project reference area in year y [tCO2e/yr]
Fireref,yAmount of non-CO2 GHG emissions from forest fires (i.e. biomass burning) inproject reference area in year y [tCO2e/yr]

2.

Calculation of CSnet ref,y is as follows;

CS net ref,y = CSemission ref,y + CSremoval ref,y -(Equation 2)
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JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
Where:
CSemission ref,yAmount of CO2 emissions from carbon pools (above- and below-groundbiomass) in project reference area in year y during the reference periods[tCO2e/yr], provided by the Government of Lao PDR.
CSremoval ref,yAmount of CO2 removals into carbon pools (above- and below-groundbiomass) in project reference area in year y during the reference periods[tCO2e/yr], provided by the Government of Lao PDR.
3. Calculation of Fireref,y is as follows (CH4 and N2O emissions from biomass burning arecalculated although they are not considered in the national FREL/FRL);
Fireref,y = Σi,k (A-burnref i × MBref,rv × Cfi× Gef,k × 10-3 × GWPk)(Equation 3)

Where:
Fireref,yAmount of non-CO2 GHG (i.e. CH4 and N2O) emissions from forest fires in projectreference area in year y [tCO2e/yr]

A-burnref i Annual burnt area in stratum i during the reference period in project reference area
[ha/yr]
The minimum area of upland crop (UC) in all Forest Type Maps during thereference period is applied as the burnt area
MBref,rv

Mass of fuel available for combustion in regenerating vegetation in projectreference area during the reference period [t/ha]

Cfi

Combustion factor (identified as secondary tropical forests in line with 2006 IPCC
Guidelines) [dimensionless]

Gef,kEmission factor of GHGk in forest fire in the project reference area [g/kg-d.m.
burnt]

GWPk

Global Warming Potential of GHGk [25 for CH4 or 298 for N2O]iStratum type. Regenerating vegetation is to be applied for all burnt area
[dimensionless]kType of GHG [dimensionless]MBref,rv = C ref,rv / (44/12 × CFi)
MBref rv

(Equation 4)

Mass of fuel available for combustion in regenerating vegetation in projectreference area during the reference period [t/ha]

Cref,rv

Carbon Stock in regenerating vegetation to be applied for the reference period[tCO2/ha]CFi

Carbon fraction of dry matter in stratum i [dimensionless]8

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
H. Calculation of project net emissions/removals
1.

Project net emissions in year y during the monitoring period are calculated as follows;

PEy = CS net pro,y + Firepro,y + Paddypro,y + Epro,y(Equation 5)

Where:
PEy

Project net emissions in year y [tCO2e/yr]

CSnet pro,y Net emissions/removals from carbon stock changes in above- and below-groundbiomass during the monitoring period in year y [tCO2e/yr]
Firepro,y Amount of non-CO2 GHG emissions from forest fires during the monitoring
period in the project area in year y [tCO2e/yr]
Paddypro,y Amount of GHG emissions from rice paddy area expanded during the monitoring
period in the project area in year y [tCO2e /yr]
Epro,yAmount of CO2 emissions from energy use for agricultural heavy machine for the
project activities during the monitoring period in the project area in year y[tCO2e/yr]

2.

Calculation of CSnet pro,y is as follows;

CSnet pro,y = CSemission pro,y + CSremoval pro,y -(Equation 6)

Where:
CSemission pro,yAmount of CO2 emissions from carbon pools (above- and below-groundbiomass) during the monitoring period in the project area [tCO2e/yr], provided by
the Government of Lao PDR.
CSremoval pro,yAmount of CO2 removals into carbon pools (above- and below-groundbiomass) during the monitoring period in the project area [tCO2e/yr], provided by
the Government of Lao PDR..
3.

Calculation of Firepro,y is as follows (CH4 and N2O emissions from biomass burning arecalculated although they are not considered in the national FREL/FRL);

Firepro,y = Σi,k (A-burnpro,i × MBpro, i × Cfi × Gef, k × 10-3 × GWPk)(Equation 7)

Where:
Firepro,y Amount of non-CO2 GHG (i.e. CH4 and N2O) emissions from forest fires during
the monitoring period in the project area in year y [tCO2e/yr]
A-burnpro,i Maximum annual burnt area in stratum i during the monitoring period in the
project area [ha/yr]
MBpro i

Mass of fuel available for combustion in stratum i during the monitoring period in
the project area [t/ha]

Cfi

Combustion factor [dimensionless]9JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
Gef,kEmission factor of GHG k in forest fire during the monitoring period in the project
area [g/kg-dm burnt]

GWPk

Global Warming Potential of GHG k [25 for CH4 or 298 for N2O]iStratum type [dimensionless]kType of GHG [dimensionless]MBpro i = Cpro,i × (1 - Rratio, i) / (44/12 × CFi)

(Equation 8)

Where:
MBpro i

Mass of fuel available for combustion in stratum i during the monitoring period in
the project area [t/ha]

Cpro iAbove-ground and below-ground carbon stock in stratum i during the monitoring
period in the project area [tCO2/ha]

Rratio, i

Ratio of below-ground biomass to above-ground biomass in stratum i in the project
area [dimensionless]

CFi

Carbon fraction of dry matter in stratum i [dimensionless]i

Stratum type [dimensionless]
Calculation of Paddypro,y is as follows;4.

Paddypro,y = EFpro × A-ppro,y × tpro × 10-3 × GWPk

(Equation 9)

Where:
Paddypro,y Amount of GHG emissions from rice paddy area expanded during the monitoring
period in the project area in year y [tCO2e /yr]EFpro

A daily emission factor from rice paddy cultivation during the monitoring period
in the project area [kg CH4/ha/day]

A-ppro,yArea of rice paddy expanded during the monitoring period in the project area inyear y [ha/yr]

tpro

Maximum cultivation period of rice paddy during the monitoring period in the
project area in year y [day]GWPk

Global Warming Potential of GHG k [25 for CH4]k

Type of GHG [dimensionless]EFpro = EFc × SFw × SFp(Equation 10)

Where:EFpro

A daily emission factor from rice paddy cultivation during the monitoring period
in the project area [kg CH4/ha/day]EFc

Baseline emission factor for continuously flooded fields without organic
amendments [kg CH4/ha/day]10

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
SFw

Scaling factor to account for the differences in water regime during the cultivation
period [dimensionless]

SFp

Scaling factor to account for the differences in water regime in the pre-season before
the cultivation period [dimensionless]5.

Calculation of Epro,y is as follows;(Equation 11)

Epro,y = FCMG,y × NCVMG × Efuel,MG
Where:
Epro,yAmount of CO2 emissions from energy use for agricultural heavy machineries for
project activities during the monitoring period in the project area in year y[tCO2e/yr]

FCMG,yMaximum consumption of motor gasoline during the monitoring period in the
project area in year y [kg/yr]

NCVMG

Net calorific value of motor gasoline [GJ/kg]

EFfuel,MG CO2 emission factor of motor gasoline combusted [tCO2/GJ]

I. Calculation of project emissions reductions or removals to be credited
1.

Project emission reductions are calculated as the difference between the project reference leveland project net emissions/removals, as follows;

ERy = (RLy – PEy)

(Equation 12)

Where:2.

ERy

Net GHG emission reductions in year y [tCO2e]

RLy

Project reference level in year y [tCO2e]

PEy

Project net emissions/removals in year y [tCO2e]

Annual project emission reductions to be credited are calculated considering the discount for
the risk of reversals. The default value of 30% is applied for the discount factor.

ERcredt,y = ERy × (1 – DF)(Equation 13)

Where:

3.

ERcredt,yProject emission reductions to be credited in year y [tCO2e]

ERy

Project emission reductions in year y [tCO2e]DF

Discount factor, the default value specified in the methodology guidelines as 0.3

Project emission reductions to be credited during a monitoring period p are calculated asfollows;11

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14(Equation 14)

ERcredt,p =Σy ERcredt,yWhere:

ERcredt,p Project emission reductions to be credited during a monitoring period p [tCO2e]
ERcredt,yProject emission reductions to be credited in year y [tCO2e]

J. Data and parameters fixed ex ante
The source of each data and parameter fixed ex ante 2 is listed as below.
Parameter

Description of data

SourceAmount of CO2 emission from carbon The data is to be provided by the
CSemission

pools(above-andbelow-ground Government

ref,ybiomass) in project reference area in consistent with national FREL/FRL.

of

Lao

PDR

and

year yAmount of CO2 emission from carbon The data is to be provided by the
CSremovalpools(above-andbelow-ground Government

ref,ybiomass) in project reference area in consistent with national FREL/FRL.

of

Lao

PDR

and

year yThe data is to be provided from theGovernment of Lao PDR. As uplandcrop field is generally used just for one
year after burning and turned into
regenerating vegetation the next year,
Annual burnt area in stratum i in projectA-burnref.i

reference area during the reference
period [ha/yr]

area of Upland Crop (UC) in a Forest
Type Map of a year is applied as
average burnt area in the previous year.
The minimum area of UC in all Forest
Type Maps during reference period is
considered as burnt area during thereference period.
Regenerating vegetation is applied forstratum i for all burnt area.

Cfi
Gef,k

Combustion factor [dimensionless]

Table 2.6 of Chapter 2 Volume 4 of-2006 IPCC Guidelines

All secondary tropical forests: 0.55

Emission factor of GHG k in forest fire Table 2.5 of Chapter 2 Volume 4 ofThis includes including the data to be provided by the Government of Lao PDR and consistent
with national FREL/FRL as criterion 1 of the eligibility criteria.
212JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14[g/kg-d.m. burnt]-

2006 IPCC Guidelines

Tropical forest: CH4 6.8, N2O 0.20
Table 2.14 in Chapter 2 ofGlobal Warming Potential of GHG k
GWPｋ-

CH4: 25-

N2O: 298

Contribution of Working Group I to
the Fourth Assessment Report of the
IPCC

Carbon Stock in regenerating vegetation The data is to be provided from theCref,rv

to be applied for the reference period Government[tCO2/ha]
-

of

Lao

PDR

and

consistent with national FREL/FRL

65.8

Carbon fraction of dry matter in stratum Annex 2 of national FREL/FRL
CFi

i [dimensionless]-Current Forest: 0.47

Ratio of below-ground biomass to Table 4.4 of Chapter 4 Volume 4 ofabove-ground biomass [dimensionless];
Rratio,i

2006 IPCC Guidelines

if above-ground biomass is under 125
t/ha: 0.2
if above-ground biomass is over 125
t/ha: 0.24
BaselineEFc

emissionfactorfor Table 5.11 of Chapter 5 Volume 4 ofcontinuously flooded fields without 2006 IPCC Guidelines
organic amendments [kg CH4/ha/day]-

CH4 emission as IPCC default: 1.30

Scaling factor to account for the

Table 5.12 of Chapter 5 Volume 4 ofdifferences in water regime during the 2006 IPCC Guidelines
SFw

cultivation period [dimensionless]-

Rainfed and deep water (Regular
rainfed): 0.27

Scaling factor to account for the

Table 5.13 of Chapter 5 Volume 4 ofdifferences in water regime in the pre- 2006 IPCC Guidelines
SFpseason before the cultivation period[dimensionless]-Non flooded preseason >180 day:
1.22

Net calorific value of motor gasoline Table 1.2 of Chapter 1 Volume 2 of
NCVMG

[GJ/kg]-2006 IPCC Guidelines

Motor Gasoline: 44.3 TJ/Gg

13

JCM_LA_AM004_ver01.0
Sectoral scope: 14
CO2 emission factor of the motor Table 3.2.1 of Chapter 3 and Table 2.5
EFfuel,MG

gasoline combusted [tCO2/GJ]

of Chapter 2 Volume 2 of 2006 IPCC-

Guidelines

Motor Gasoline: 69,300 kg CO2/TJ

Joint Crediting Mechanism Guidelines
for Developing Proposed Methodology
forA default discount factor of 30% asDFdefined in the guideline is applied (seeright) automatically

Reducing

EmissionsfromDeforestation and Forest Degradation,
and

the

Role

of

Conservation,

Sustainable Management of Forests
and Enhancement of Forest Carbon
Stocksin

Developing

Countries(REDD-plus) for Lao PDR.
(JCM_LA_GL_PM_REDD+_ver01.0)

History of the document
Version
01.0

Date
23 March 2022

Contents revisedElectronic decision by the Joint Committee
Initial approval.

14