Abstract

The Kyoto Protocol provides for the involvement of developing countries in an atmospheric greenhouse gas reduction regime under its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Carbon credits are gained from reforestation and afforestation activities in developing countries. Bangladesh, a densely populated tropical country in South Asia, has a huge degraded forestland which can be reforested by CDM projects. To realize the potential of the forestry sector in developing countries for full-scale emission mitigation, the carbon sequestration potential of different species in different types of plantations should be integrated with the carbon trading system under the CDM of the Kyoto Protocol. This paper discusses the prospects and problems of carbon trading in Bangladesh, in relation to the CDM, in the context of global warming and the potential associated consequences. The paper analyzes the effects of reforestation projects on carbon sequestration in Bangladesh, in general, and in the hilly Chittagong region, in particular, and concludes by demonstrating the carbon trading opportunities. Results showed that tree tissue in the forests of Bangladesh stored 92 tons of carbon per hectare (tC/ha), on average. The results also revealed a gross stock of 190 tC/ha in the plantations of 13 tree species, ranging in age from 6 to 23 years. The paper confirms the huge atmospheric CO₂ offset by the forests if the degraded forestlands are reforested by CDM projects, indicating the potential of Bangladesh to participate in carbon trading for both its economic and environmental benefit. Within the forestry sector itself, some constraints are identified; nevertheless, the results of the study can expedite policy decisions regarding Bangladesh's participation in carbon trading through the CDM.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Carbon sequestration; Carbon trading; CDM; Global warming

Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. General overview of Bangladesh and its forestry sector

3. Materials and methods

3.1. Sampling procedures

3.2. Procedure of net carbon sequestration estimation

3.3. Biomass estimation of the plantations

3.4. Procedure for estimation of the biomass of the litter fall

3.5. Carbon content estimation

3.6. Procedure for the estimation of soil carbon content

3.7. Procedure for the estimation of carbon loss through forest product extraction from the stands

3.8. Statistical analysis

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Potential of Bangladeshi forests in carbon sequestration

4.2. Gross carbon content in the stands

4.3. Annual increment in carbon contents in the plantations

4.4. Potentialities of carbon sequestration in the Chittagong region

4.5. Global warming and its effects on Bangladesh

4.6. Legal framework of carbon trading under the CDM

4.7. CDM additionality in Bangladesh

4.8. Prices for carbon credits

4.9. Carbon accounting method

4.10. Problems and constraints for carbon trading in Bangladesh

4.11. Sustainability of the CDM project in Bangladesh

5. Conclusions

6. Recommendations

References