On December 7, 2023, the first carbon sink trade agreement for soil and water conservation project in China was signed in Changting County, Fujian Province. Valued at 1.8 million RMB (0.25 million USD), the trade involved a total of 100,000 tons of carbon sink for comprehensive management of soil and water conservation in the Luodi River watershed.

Soil and water conservation carbon sink refers to the process or ability of generating carbon sink following the adoption of measures to prevent and control soil erosion caused by natural factors and human activities. The Luodi River watershed used to be a typical area plagued by soil and water loss in the county. More than two decades of comprehensive management and restoration actions have witnessed strengthened soil and water conservation benefits, delivering improved carbon storage capacity and carbon sink increment. Carbon reserve has climbed by approximately 30,000 tons, with an average annual increase of 1,890 tons. In addition, carbon sink has hit 110,000 tons, including soil carbon sink of about 60,000 tons and vegetation carbon sink of about 50,000 tons.

The Luodi River after soil and water conservation efforts [Photo / MWR]

According to statistics, in recent years Fujian province has undertaken comprehensive programs of soil and water loss, improving 1.93 million hectares of water and soil loss and over 33,300 hectares of slope farmland, planting more than 1.13 million hectares of forests and nurturing over 1.73 million hectares of forests. All these endeavors have contributed to significant water storage and soil conservation benefits, showing huge potential of soil and water conservation carbon sink. Fujian Soil and Water Conservation Monitoring Station opened a special account for soil and water conservation carbon sink in the Xiamen Carbon and Emission Rights Exchange Center, for the purpose of follow-up storage and trading of soil and water conservation carbon sink in Fujian and even across the country.

Ministry of Water Resources, P. R. China, will upscale the experience of this trading, further improve carbon sink theories and methods for soil and water conservation projects, and enhance monitoring, accounting and statistical systems for carbon sink trading. Moreover, vigorous efforts will be made to establish a national trading mechanism for integrating soil and water conservation carbon sink into voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction, thus further pushing forward ecological conservation for building a beautiful China.

(Source: INTCE)