Wetlands Restoration and Conservation (WRC)
New requirements are under development for crediting the climate benefits of Wetlands Restoration and Conservation (WRC) activities. The requirements are slated for release in mid-2012.
These requirements will create a broad new VCS project category for crediting climate benefits from all wetlands areas, including mangroves, freshwater tidal coastal wetlands, salt marshes, sea grasses, floodplains, peatlands (already covered by existing VCS Peatland Rewetting and Conservation requirements) and potentially other land areas.
The requirements are being developed by the VCS Wetlands Technical Working Group with generous support from Restore America's Estuaries.
Draft requirements will undergo peer review in January 2012 and then be released for a broad public consultation and submitted to the VCS Board for approval. The final requirements will be incorporated into existing requirements for crediting activities in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector.
Key Documents
- Call for Peer Reviewers: open until 23 December 2011
Timeline
- March 2011: VCS Wetlands Technical Working Group convened
- January 2012 (estimated): Draft requirements undergo peer review
- Early 2012 (estimated): Draft requirements go to public consultation and are prepared for submission to VCS Board
- Mid 2012 (estimated): Final requirements published for use
