Afforestation is the process of establishing forest where there was previously no forest. Reforestation is the process of replanting tree in previously forested areas. Afforestation and reforestation improve carbon sequestration (mitigation) but can also improve forest functions (ecosystem services, biodiversity, soil protection) and reduce the vulnerability of local communities to climate change (adaptation).

Global mitigation potential is 10.13 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in the Netherlands, Germany, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Canada, Spain, Vietnam and Nepal.

Agroforestry is the integration of trees with agricultural crops and/or livestock, either simultaneously (grown together) or sequentially (grown one after the other). As with forestry, agroforestry supports the sequestration of carbon in the biosphere, but also contributes to important ecosystem services such as improvements in biodiversity, pest control and reduced soil erosion, as well as the economic benefits of a more diverse product range.

Global mitigation potential is 1 - 2 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Venezuela, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Forest management (FM) is the process of planning and implementing practices for the use of forests to meet specific environmental, economic, social, and cultural objectives. FM can be an option for carbon dioxide removal through changes in the management of forest land. FM can increase storage of carbon in living and dead biomass, and soil, and also avoid emissions by preserving existing carbon stocks. FM options generally include forest protection (e.g. by taking forest area out of wood use), increasing forest carbon stocks (e .g. by extending the harvest cycle, reducing the number of harvested trees), forest adaptation (e.g. , increasing resilience of forest stands through introduction of adapted species and varieties), and increasing the carbon stock in harvested wood products (e.g. by increasing the share of long-lived products).

Global mitigation potential is 1.46 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Germany, Venezuela , Burkina Faso , Canada, Sweden, Indonesia, Spain, Nepal and Portugal.

Indigenous fire management uses Indigenous knowledge to manage and/or suppress forest fires. For many Indigenous people around the world, fire management is a key tool for survival. Fire management practice has social, cultural, and economic connections, including swidden cultivation (or rotational farming), hunting, gathering of materials and food collection. For example, Indigenous people of the Amazonian rainforest use fire to burn vegetation debris in deforested patches, or to increase nutrient availability in otherwise very poor and washed soils, thus allowing crops cultivation for 3-4 years. The land is then abandoned and left to recover for a long period of time, allowing for the formation of brown fertile soils over time.

Global mitigation potential is 0.1 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Venezuela.

Peatlands are carbon-rich wetlands, formed via the reduced decomposition of vegetation biomass due to waterlogged anaerobic conditions. Peatlands are continuously threatened by human-induced drainage and land-use change. Lowering of the water table exposes peat to oxygen, releasing carbon to the atmosphere.

Global mitigation potential is 1.57 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in the Netherlands, Germany, Indonesia and Nepal.

Areas of grassland generally have lower associated greenhouse gas emissions than croplands. Grassland management can therefore be considered as both a technique to avoid additional emissions (by avoiding grassland conversion to croplands) or to actively reduce emissions (by converting croplands to grasslands). In many cases, grassland management is used in combination with livestock (grazing/forage production) or in agrosilvopastoral systems, where a combination of grassland management, tree planting/management (agroforestry) and extensive animal husbandry is applied.

Global mitigation potential is 0.1 – 1 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Germany, Burkina Faso, Nepal, Portugal and Switzerland.

Dry seeded rice technology is based on the resource conservation principle. It involves sowing rice seeds directly in the fields, either by drilling or broadcasting (scattering seeds) in the soil. This compares with the traditional transplanting method, which involves growing seedlings in nurseries, then transplanting them to the fields after ploughing, puddling, and levelling of the soil (with standing water maintained in the fields throughout the rice growing period). By combining tillage, residue and water management, dry seeded rice in no tillage technology can sequester carbon in the soil, whilst simultaneously reducing methane emissions, therefore contributing to carbon neutral rice systems.

Global mitigation potential is 0.2 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Nepal.

Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) aims to combat nutrient “mining” induced loss of soil fertility and enhance crop yields. ISFM is a combination of several inputs, such as the use of fertiliser, organic residue inputs and improved germplasm, all adapted to local conditions and aimed at maximising the agronomic use efficiency of nutrients. Because ISFM is a specific solution tailored to highly weathered tropical soils, which without organic inputs lose their fertility fast, it is mostly used in sub-Saharan regions.

Global mitigation potential for soil carbon sequestration (including organic agriculture/ ISFM) is 0.9-1.85 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Kenya.

Farmers generally apply mineral fertilisers to provide crop nutrients. Combined with a removal of most biomass at harvest, dependency on inorganic fertilizers leads to a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and high N2O emissions.

Organic farming aims to maintain soil fertility and SOC stocks by closing nutrient cycles, returning organic material such as manures to the field, and nitrogen fixing through crop rotations instead of mineral fertilizer application. Through increased inputs of organic material into soils, SOC can be increased, sequestering CO2, while reduced nitrogen loads have the potential to reduce N2O emissions.

Global mitigation potential for soil carbon sequestration (including organic agriculture/ ISFM) is 0.9-1.85 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Tillage (ploughing) has been long used to reduce pest pressure and prepare agricultural fields for the establishment of new plants. Tillage partly or completely inverts the topsoil, a process associated with increased soil erodibility and a breakup of soil aggregates. The latter increases the turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC), as SOC which was protected from decomposition within the soil becomes available to soil microorganisms, leading to a loss of SOC as CO2 to the atmosphere.

Tillage can be reduced through techniques such as replacing inversion tillage with a soil ripper. It can also be completely abandoned, via direct seeding. In low or no tillage systems there is an increased need to control pest and weed pressures. For example, in no-tillage systems the herbicide glyphosate is commonly used to kill off weeds before direct seeding. Crop yields of reduced tillage systems are usually equal to conventional tillage.

Global mitigation potential is 0.1 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Switzerland, Kenya and Canada.

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) refers to technologies where biomass is grown, the energy content of the biomass is harvested (for example, through burning), and the carbon emitted is stored below the ground. It has the potential to produce energy while actively offsetting carbon emissions – the carbon absorbed during biomass growth is stored underground.

Global mitigation potential is between 0.5 and 5 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and Sweden.

Biochar is a type of charcoal, produced by pyrolysis of biomass in the absence of oxygen. Although the process of biochar production releases some carbon dioxide, much of the carbon content of the biomass is retained in the biochar. When added to soil, this carbon is locked away indefinitely. In addition to carbon storage, biochar has multiple benefits for soil health.

Global mitigation potential is between 0.5 and 2 billion tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Switzerland, Canada, Sweden and Vietnam.

Biodigesters are a waste management technology that use organic materials and waste - such as animal and human manure and other agricultural, slaughterhouses, urban, and food wastes - to anaerobically produce biogas (methane) as an energy source. They also produce biogas slurry, which can be used as compost.

Global mitigation potential is 0.3 million tonnes CO2e per year (source).

We are studying this LMT in Indonesia.