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SCB OFFSETS ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT IN SOUTH AFRICA

At SCB's 2006 annual meeting, the Board of Governors, responding to the overwhelming consensus of meeting attendees, decided to offset the carbon impact of our 2007 meeting. Funds for the offset were generated by a voluntary surcharge of $20 (registrants from high income countries) or $5 (registrants from developing countries). More than 98% of registrants added the surcharge to their registration fees. With this money, we invested in restoration of thicket vegetation on the Baviaanskloof MegaReserve in Eastern Cape, the third largest natural area in South Africa. The project will store carbon, benefit biological diversity, and (by employing local people to restore native vegetation) alleviate poverty in the project area, with long term sustainability through ecotourism. Most carbon will be stored in a native succulent evergreen plant that has been demonstrated to store carbon efficiently in a low rainfall system, with high resistance to loss from wildfire and decomposition.

Several members of an ad hoc Carbon Offset Committee have been investigating the possibility that SCB could provide funds for the Baviaanskloof project over multiple years. Our 2007 offset funding will store carbon on fewer than 100 ha, but more than 1000 ha are in need of revegetation. Advantages of a multiyear investment are (a) the project organizers can invest appropriately in nursery operation and other investments that could last more than one year, (b) the project has better chance of attracting other investors, (c) the project can work on certification by a third party certifier, and (d) it gives our committee several years to devise our long term plans for investing in offsets of greenhouse gases.

For a quick and meaningful education on projects that meet the triple goals of carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and poverty eradication, visit www.climatestandards.org, the Web site for the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project. These standards identify land-based projects that simultaneously deliver compelling benefits for climate, biological diversity, and local communities. The standards, which are primarily designed for climate change mitigation projects, were developed by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance. The alliance is a global partnership of research institutions, corporations, and environmental groups with a mission to develop and promote voluntary standards for land use projects with multiple benefits.

To our knowledge, SCB is the first professional organization in ecology, conservation, or management of natural resources to take responsibility for our carbon footprint.

Paul Beier

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