Potential assessment of land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) projects under the clean development mechanism (CDM) in the Mata Atlantica, municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ - Brazil.

The LULUCF projects under the CDM mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol represent a valuable opportunity to link climate change mitigation and protection of severe endangere d ecosystems like the Atlantic forest. The present study analyses the potential areas, stakeholders and barriers to develop carbon sequestration projects in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ, Brazil. Using remote sensing and GIS suitable areas were computed. Interviews were realized to map the institutional framework for LULUCF projects and a SWOT analysis was done to identify main obstacles and possible strategies to be implemented. Difficulties for the election of suitable lands for carbon sequestration projects, complexities to measure carbon pools and temporality of credits have been the major obstacles in developing LULUCF projects. Additionally, the specificity of the existing methodologies (that limits their replication) and demonstration of additionality represent important barriers. In Cachoeiras de Macacu, 27% (264 km 2 ) of the municipality are potential lands for LULUCF projects. Lands are highly parceled and mainly represent pastures (194 km2 ) or agricultural lands (36,47 km 2 ). Historically deforested areas (like Cachoeiras de Macacu) have relatively high suitable areas for LULUCF initiatives, but also significant demand for lands for settlements and food production (situation that will intensify with the establishment of the COMPERJ, Petrochemical Complex of Rio de Janeiro). This fact sets a contraction that leads to the conclusion that, buffer areas of megacities in developing countries constitute ideal scenarios for Payment of Ecosystem Services frameworks and not for CDM projects. There are other existing schemes like the ecologic ICMS, voluntary carbon markets and PES that have demonstrate to be more effective than the CDM in protecting forests. Definitely, other mechanisms like REDD should be implemented and enforced to avoid deforestation and GHG emissions.