On April 4th, a working meeting was held with the main consultants who provide technical assistance in the forestry management of the private farms in the Los Alcornocales Natural Park. The LIFE CO2RK Project was explained in detail and a work dynamic was established to obtain the contributions of these professionals
Purpose of the meeting
The purpose of the meeting is to gather the opinions and contributions that the main technicians who work in the forestry management of the public and private farms in the Los Alcornocales Natural Park can make about the objectives of LIFE CO2RK and the tools that we hope to develop to promote the compensation of emissions.
To make the “technical, administrative and financial architecture” that the project aims to build viable, the participation in the design of the same of the technicians who advise the owners, and who plan and develop forestry management in Andalusia, is essential.
As this is a very innovative initiative, there are still many aspects that are not defined, so attendees are asked to provide their contributions and criticisms, to be understanding with the rhythms and with the uncertainties that they detect, and to understand this situation not as a weakness but as an opportunity, since they will be able to influence the construction of a system in which they will soon intervene as operators or advisors.
Some keys to LIFE CO2RK
Compensation not only for reforestation
The key to LIFE CO2RK is that the SACE (Andalusian System for Carbon Emissions compensation) will admit not only reforestation, as does the State Compensation System promoted by MITECO (Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition), but also the demand for LIFE CO2RK:
That sustainable forest management, which generates better growth of forest species, be taken into account as an element that increases CO2 capture, which should recognize good forestry practices and promote the recovery of the Cork Oak forests in the face of phenomena of decay or retreat of the surface.
Typologies of Cork Oak forests
Miguel Ángel Lara (IDAF) explains the 6 typologies, how the process has been to define that number of types and the characteristics of each one. It is accepted as valid.
Andalusian regulations on Climate Change and SACE
Miguel Gil sets out the fundamental lines of the Andalusian Emissions Compensation System. It is emphasised that the Andalusian Government has recently admitted compensation not only in public forests but also by private owners.
Likewise, all those summoned are aware of its great advantage in admitting compensation not only in reforested lands after a fire.
This, together with the acceptance of forestry management as a source of additional carbon fixation, means that the task of planning and executing forestry work by the summoned technicians is, in its majority, eligible for the additional financing that CO2RK tries to promote.
Some concepts are clarified, such as what type of companies make up the “diffuse sector”.
Foreseeable financial circuit
The conclusions of the meeting held with SACE the day before are presented:
- 20% of the UDAs (units of Carbon absorption) are financed in advance (UDAS EXANTE) to help the owner in the execution of the initial tasks
- 70% UDAS in EXPOST payments after each verification, but this issue is not yet defined: if 10-year agreements are chosen instead of SACE’s 30-year claim, a verification would give the right to approximately 20% UDAs
- 10% UDAs go to a GUARANTEE FUND with which the Administration (Ministry) can compensate an owner in the event of a force majeure event, such as a fire during the period in which it has been executing a compensation agreement
