Chiarawipa Rawee, Somboonsuke Buncha, Wandao Sirima, Thongsong Apichet, Jirakajohnkool Supet
Agricultural Innovation and Management Division, Faculty of Natural Resources, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai District, Songkhla 90110 Thailand.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Regional Center 11, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Suratthani, Thailand.
Trop Life Sci Res. 2024 Mar;35(1):139-160. doi: 10.21315/tlsr2024.35.1.8. Epub 2024 Mar 30.
A large-scale rubber plantation in Southern Thailand is expected to capture a significant amount of carbon dioxide from emissions through carbon sinks in the vegetation and soil. The goal of this research is to create a carbon offset assessment for rubber plantations lasting for 30 years using a voluntary market contract approach. To evaluate the area of large-scale rubber plantations, this study evaluated major growing regions in five provinces in the middle-south region of Thailand (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Satun and Trang) using an integrated RS-GIS technique that incorporated biomass allometric equations, soil series databases, and object-based classification. The classification of rubber plantation areas and the mapping of rubber stand ages were conducted to estimate the above-ground biomass of the rubber tree. Texture analysis was used in the rubber classification process, and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) was combined with texture analysis to separate vegetation areas from other land cover. Four groups of varying ages (1-6, 7-13, 14-20 and 21-30 years old) were evaluated for their capacity to generate carbon offsets. The equations of voluntary market contract revenue according to the contract method of the CCX were applied for this case study. This evaluation was used to estimate their annual value, total and net incomes in the carbon market price regarding the RGGI Allowance (RGA). Carbon offset income was then used to estimate the potential income (over a 30-year period) of the life of the contract. The results showed that the carbon stock potential of rubber plantations depended on the age of the trees and the soil carbon stock. The total carbon stock in the rubber plantations varied from 249.73 to 301.48 Mg C/ha (or equivalently 916.49 to 1,106.44 Mg COe/ha). Furthermore, the potential net income of the contract was estimated to be between USD5,378.32 and USD5,930.38 Mg COe/ha over a 30-year period according to the voluntary market contract revenue. These results suggest that the large agricultural land plot policy could create opportunities for carbon offsetting. The policy of large-scale rubber areas could be used as a tool and mechanism for farmers who are considering participating in carbon-crediting mechanisms. Then, farmers could use voluntary market contracts as a guide and foundation for their decision-making. The carbon offset credit strategy could assist Thailand in achieving its climate goals of transitioning to a low-carbon agriculture sector.
泰国南部的一个大型橡胶种植园预计将通过植被和土壤中的碳汇从排放中捕获大量二氧化碳。本研究的目标是使用自愿市场合同方法,对持续30年的橡胶种植园进行碳抵消评估。为了评估大型橡胶种植园的面积,本研究采用了一种综合的遥感-地理信息系统(RS-GIS)技术,该技术结合了生物量异速生长方程、土壤系列数据库和基于对象的分类方法,对泰国中南部五个省份(那空是贪玛叻、博他伦、宋卡、沙敦和董里)的主要种植区进行了评估。进行了橡胶种植园面积分类和橡胶林龄制图,以估算橡胶树的地上生物量。在橡胶分类过程中使用了纹理分析,并将归一化植被指数(NDVI)与纹理分析相结合,以将植被区域与其他土地覆盖区分开来。评估了四组不同树龄(1 - 6年、7 - 13年、14 - 20年和21 - 30年)的碳抵消生成能力。本案例研究应用了根据芝加哥气候交易所(CCX)合同方法的自愿市场合同收入方程。该评估用于估算它们在涉及区域温室气体倡议配额(RGA)的碳市场价格下的年度价值、总收入和净收入。然后,碳抵消收入被用于估算合同期内(30年)的潜在收入。结果表明,橡胶种植园的碳储量潜力取决于树木的年龄和土壤碳储量。橡胶种植园的总碳储量在249.73至301.48 Mg C/公顷之间变化(或等效于916.49至1,106.44 Mg CO₂e/公顷)。此外,根据自愿市场合同收入,合同期内30年的潜在净收入估计在5,378.32美元至5,930.38美元/ Mg CO₂e/公顷之间。这些结果表明,大规模农业用地政策可以创造碳抵消机会。大规模橡胶种植区政策可以作为一种工具和机制,供考虑参与碳信用机制的农民使用。然后,农民可以将自愿市场合同作为其决策的指南和基础。碳抵消信用策略可以帮助泰国实现向低碳农业部门转型的气候目标。