An open-access database of nature-based carbon offset project boundaries

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Climate Science
• Geospatial Analysis

Background:

• Nature-based climate solutions (NBS) are vital for atmospheric CO2 reduction and climate change mitigation.
• Carbon offsets, a key NBS strategy, face scrutiny over offset exaggeration and verification challenges.
• Lack of accessible geospatial boundary data hinders the validation of NBS efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a comprehensive database of nature-based offset project boundaries.
• To provide geospatial data for 575 NBS projects across 55 countries.
• To facilitate accurate verification of carbon offset efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Aggregated geospatial boundaries through web scraping of carbon project registries (75.3%) and manual georeferencing/digitization (22.1%).
• Included project types: avoided deforestation, afforestation, reforestation/re-vegetation, and improved forest management.
• Assessed accuracy using intersection over union (IoU) score, achieving 0.98 ± 0.015.

Main Results:

• Established a database of 575 nature-based offset projects with defined geospatial boundaries.
• Projects span 55 countries, covering diverse NBS strategies.
• Demonstrated high accuracy in georeferencing and digitization processes.

Conclusions:

• The developed database significantly improves the availability of crucial geospatial data for NBS projects.
• This resource enhances the ability to verify carbon offsets, addressing a critical gap in climate change mitigation strategies.
• The findings support more reliable implementation and assessment of nature-based climate solutions.