Forest Carbon Leakage Quantification Methods and Their Suitability for Assessing Leakage in REDD

This paper assesses quantification methods for carbon leakage from forestry activities for their suitability in leakage accounting in a future Reducing Emissions from the Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) mechanism. Results show that leakage methods can be grouped into nine main methodological approaches, six of which could fulfill the recommended REDD leakage requirements if approaches to primary and secondary leakage are combined. The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is the only carbon accounting standard that fulfills all leakage quantification requisites in REDD. However, a lack of accounting methods was identified for international leakage, which was addressed by only two methods.