Designing Academic Curriculum in Terrestrial Carbon Accounting (TCA)

in IndonesiaRIZALDI BOER

Post Graduate Faculty

Center for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management of

Bogor Agricultural University

(CCROM IPB)

Prolog: TCA Context

• The Paris Agreement – international treaty to reduce emissions, transparency critical.

• Most countries need to massively increase the quantity and quality of carbon accounting.

• A range of needs for enhanced carbon accounting capacity: international, national, provincial, academic, local, private sector.

Guidance to Be Considered for MRV of REDD+

Note: Warsaw Framework and Other COP Decisions for REDD+ as the basis for MRV of REDD+

MRV MECHANISM ON CLIMATE ACTIONS AND SUPPORTSSource: MoEF (2016)

Accounting & data management issues

(QA/QC)

Communication & reporting issues

MRV Team (experts)

GHG Inventory (SIGN Smart)

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TCA Instructions

1. International and domestic policy contexts and climate science

2. Carbon modeling through GIS and remote sensing (developing geospatially-referenced activity data)

3. IPCC guidelines and land classification

4. Forestry field methods and data collection (developing country-specific emission factors)

5. Statistics and uncertainty analysis

6. Analysis of results and the communication of these analyses to decision makers

TCA Policy Context and

Climate Science

IPCC Guideline & Land

Classification

TCA GIS & Remote Sensing

Field Methods & Data

collection

TCA Statistics & Uncertainty Assessment

Analysis Results and TCA

Communication

Process of Designing: Adopted from UCSD 2013 TCA Course

• UCSD 2013 TCA Course: First university accredited Advanced Certificate in Terrestrial Carbon Accounting (145 hours of instruction in 6 integrated classes)

• Taught at University of California San Diego (UCSD)

• Overwhelming positive reviews

• Important lessons learned from the UCSD 2013 TCA Course was used for improving the TCA Course

International Curriculum Committee Board (lead

by the GHGMI)

• Country’s TCA curriculum team: Tailoring the TCA curriculum to the country needs (Scoping Studies)

• Modification of the TCA curriculum & course contents

Ensuring meet international

standard

TCA Curriculum in IndonesiaBased on assessment to 9 universities courses and a number of related TCA courses

• institutions and programs surveyed had significant gaps in comprehensive TCA instruction

• The Institutions course only contains between 5% and 30% of the TCA instructions, except for several courses related to GIS, and Forest Inventory, Forest Biometric, and Climate Policy

• In general, most of the TCA training programs tend to be heavy on policy context and light on technical skills and almost none on communication results

Candidates for TCA TrainingBased on interview to 154 respondents consisting of bureaucrats, academics, practitioners,

and students from three levels, S1 (bachelor), S2 (magister) and S3 (doctor)

• Candidates: professionals from national ministries and agencies, as well as professionals in agencies at the province level

• Background: from any level of study which hold undergraduate degree, preferably they have forestry background

• Prerequisite: Basic statistics and GIS skills

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20%

30%

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60%

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Duration of the TCA Training & Respondents’ Knowledge

• Mostly between 1 and 2 days for each TCA Instructions

• More time should be allocated from longest to shortest – GIS and remote sensing

– Field methods and data collection

– TCA statistics

– 2006 IPCC Guidelines and land classification

– science and policy context, and

– communication of results

• Respondents knowledge, less in TCA statistics and TCA communications

• Majority of respondents interested in the course

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2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

ClimatePolicy

GIS/RS

IPCCMethod&LandClass.

FieldMethod

TCAStat.

TCAComm.

Score

12 days of training

Proposed Program TCA Training

• Program Services:– In-person 2-week training session (20-30 participants

for each course)

– Instruction and examinations in the 6 core course areas and examinations

– Alumni support resources (e.g., professional network, career services)

– TCA Help Desk service to respond to technical questions within 48 hours

– TCA Certificate (upon successful demonstration of competency)

Proposed Program TCA Training

TCA Policy, Communication and high level

survey TCA

TCA Methods and Techniques: IPCC Method,

GIS/RS, Field Methods, TCA statistics

TCA Field Works, applying method and technique in

the field

2 days 7 days 3 days

56.5 hours of classroom instruction & practical exercises and 22 hours of fieldwork, alongside homework assignments

Equivalent to 4 credits – transferable to post graduate curriculum as specific topic

For policymaking staff to participate that do not

need the in-depth technical skills, but need

an essential understanding of the

technical aspects behind TCA for future policy

design, budgeting, and monitoring and

evaluation efforts.

For technical personnel to be able to use and apply

the four technical aspects of TCA. The students will be provided with real cases on the application of methods through practical exercises

To integrate all of the technical skills that

participants have learned in the field to allow them to gain hands-on experience with smaller-scale version

of the same work that they will conduct as terrestrial

carbon accounting professionals

Competency Based Training for TCA

(1) Policy context

Assessing Impact of the Implementation

Low Emission Development (LED)

(2) GIS/Remote Sensing (Activity Data)

(4) Field Methods (Emission factors)

(3) IPCC Method for the calculation

of Emission

(5) TCA Statistics: Method for uncertainty

(6) Reporting and Communication

Course Modification tailored to Indonesian Needs

1. Increase depth of course by adding more materials and local contents– Field Methods and Measurements, i.e. sampling,

carbon pools, allometric equations development, use of Indonesian data for exercises

– TCA Statistics: use Indonesian data for exercises with case studies, i.e. summarizing and clarifying statistical concepts using real data from 1 ha of plantation and natural forests, and error propagation using plot level data from different land cover types and apply to regions (districts and provinces)

Course Modification tailored to Indonesian Needs

2. Reducing the depth of the contents – Policy Context and communication focused more on

the national context and very brief on the international context

– TCA statistics (focus on the IPCC method for uncertainty), and use of software for TCA statistic and GIS/RS, i.e. use of Excel in addition to R, and other RS software

3. Field Work: – Hands-on experience with smaller-scale version of the

same work that they will conduct as terrestrial carbon accounting professionals

Course Coordinator

Prof. Lilik Budi Prasetyo

Dr. Tatang Tiryana Dr. Paian Sianturi

Dr. Teddy Rusolono

Prof. Rizaldi Boer

Dr. Muhammad Ardiansyah

Teaching Team

• IPB Staff

– Dr. Tania June

– Dr. I Putu Santika Yasa

– Dr. Bambang D. Dasanto

– Dr. Lailan Syaufina

– Dr. Muhdin

– Dr. Upik Rosalina Wasrin

• Non-IPB Staff

– Dr. Nur Masripatin

– Dr. Belinda Margono

– Dr. I Wayan S. D

– Dr. Fahmuddin Agus

– Dr. Solichin Manuri

– Ir. Hari Wibowo, MSc

Supporting TeamAdi Rakhman, Gito Sugih Imanuel,

Gladys Siti Hatmanti, Ratna Patriana

Epilogue

• First training course in Indonesia will be delivered in July-August 2018 and be continued regularly every year

• TCA certificate is expected to be nationally and internationally recognized

• TCA alumni networks and help desk provide back up for the alumni in developing their professional work and career