This report focuses on monetising forest carbon through voluntary market mechanisms only. Similar mechanisms, methodologies and processes apply for developing forest-based projects for participation in market mechanisms under Articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. However, while developing forest carbon projects, project implementers/developers should consider specific provisions of Articles 6.2 and 6.4 mechanisms as provided by the UNFCCC.
Forests are crucial for maintaining biodiversity and act as a natural sink for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. They are vital carbon vaults that, together, absorb around 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year, or about a third of humanity’s annual fossil fuel emissions. This is in addition to providing timber and non-timber forest products. Thus, forests play a significant role in fulfilling the Paris Agreement objectives, providing opportunities to deploy climate-change mitigation action at scale while contributing to increased climate resilience and protection of biodiversity, ecosystem services and local livelihoods.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the agriculture, forestry and other land use sector accounted for 13-21% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions
in the period 2010-2019, with estimates rising to 80 per cent of GHG emissions in some developing countries.
![Commonwealth Secretary-General speaking at the Leaders' Summit of the Small Island Developing States [SIDS] on Climate Change](https://production-new-commonwealth-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/card/public/2024-11/leaders-summit-of-the-small-island-developing-states-sids-on-climate-change.png?VersionId=7FrPWbkCNz0R6qu6IXxDpF50.lJ1Ytop&itok=-pI6etOb)
