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Projects / Programmes source: ARIS

Bases for improving the methodology of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to land use, land use change and forestry.

Research activity

Code Science Field Subfield
4.01.00  Biotechnical sciences  Forestry, wood and paper technology   

Code Science Field
B430  Biomedical sciences  Sylviculture, forestry, forestry technology 

Code Science Field
4.01  Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences  Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 
Keywords
reporting; GHG; land use and land use changes; forestry; agriculture; HWP
Evaluation (rules)
source: COBISS
Researchers (12)
no. Code Name and surname Research area Role Period No. of publicationsNo. of publications
1.  34637  Janez Bergant  Plant production  Researcher  2014 - 2016  187 
2.  29164  PhD Mitja Ferlan  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  222 
3.  06470  PhD David Hladnik  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  251 
4.  16067  PhD Andrej Kobler  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  289 
5.  05093  PhD Marko Kovač  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  357 
6.  29237  PhD Boštjan Mali  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  200 
7.  19950  MSc Mitja Piškur  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  369 
8.  10264  PhD Primož Simončič  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Head  2014 - 2016  702 
9.  28590  PhD Mitja Skudnik  Forestry, wood and paper technology  Researcher  2014 - 2016  359 
10.  31072  MSc Tomaž Vernik  Plant production  Researcher  2014 - 2015  93 
11.  16283  PhD Borut Vrščaj  Plant production  Researcher  2014 - 2016  926 
12.  33775  Laura Žižek Kulovec    Technical associate  2014 - 2016  36 
Organisations (2)
no. Code Research organisation City Registration number No. of publicationsNo. of publications
1.  0401  Agricultural institute of Slovenia  Ljubljana  5055431  20,030 
2.  0404  Slovenian Forestry Institute  Ljubljana  5051673000  12,023 
Abstract
The first phase of the project addresses the harmonization of criteria to be used in the assessment of land use changes. These criteria will be used in systematic sampling of agricultural and forest land use from three time periods, all of them after the year 2000. Sampling on the grid networks have been widely used also accross Europe. The proposed sampling grid will be consistent with the existing grids used in monitoring forest resources and in monitoring the biomass of non-forest ecosytems. As foressen by the new European legislation and international commitments on sustainable management, the reporting on the woody biomass in the ecosystems outside forestlands will also become mandatory. The intersection of individual land use layers will provide the estimates of land use changes due to the changes in nature and due to the methodology. A sampling grid with a density of 500 × 500 m laid over the digital ortho images will be used for detecting land use changes from the three selected periods (2002, 2008 and 2012). In doing so, the today's criteria and definitions will be used. In such a way obtained shares of true and methodological changes will be used for correcting old land use datasets. In addition, the correction factors and the efficiencies of the criteria for assessing the status and changes in land will also be verified. After the validation of data and correction factors new transition matrices for land use changes in Slovenia will be constructed. Besides that we will assess the possibility to build error matrices. The new matrices will be the basis for assessing the actual extent of deforestation area and abandoned agricultural land, and for other land use changes that are crucial to reporting obligations under the UNFCCC/KP. The proposed statistical design will not only be used for correcting data from the last decade, but will also be used for monitoring non-forest lands. For the needs of future monitoring we will also use point sampling and we will investigate variograms to determine the distributions of land uses in the area and the ranges of standard errors. On the basis of these simulations, the methodology will be proposed and the computer application for error calculations will be designed. In benefit of better interpration of land use, a responsible agency will be acquainted with the nature of errors. The very same agency will also be provided with the methodological recommendations dealing with the harmonization of data on forest edge and land use. Two workshops are planned for knowledge transfer and informing. We also plan to publish some professional and scientific articles respectively.
Significance for science
Project results enable improvement of the current GHG reporting methodology in the field of land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). Point sampling approach can assure transparent reporting with known accuracy, which can further provide the rate of uncertainty to be estimated. New findings on land-use change trends represents a backbone for an improved quality of data at national level, whereas new approach of land-use change detection and monitoring was proposed for the future, including the use of satellite imagery as auxiliary data. A new spatial model was designed for producing the land management intensity maps related to agricultural land in Slovenia. The model is consistent with the good practice guidance (IPCC) and could be upgraded, when additional required data will become available.
Significance for the country
In the context of the transition to a competitive low carbon economy until 2050 the land use will have to be looked at holistically. Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) is currently being considered in the context of climate change policy of the European Union. The Decision 529/2013/EU provides a good foundation and starting point for accounting for emissions and removals resulting from LULUCF activities, however, the accounting rules in it seems too loose. The improved estimates and quality data provided by the proposed methodology, Slovenia will be easier to take a position on the new LULUCF regulation, which is currently in progress. Results of the project will contribute to a better understanding of the state of Slovenia for the studied area, making it easier to determine actions to reduce GHG emissions and climate change mitigation in agriculture and forestry.
Most important scientific results Final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results Annual report 2015, final report
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