"LULUCF Participation 2014"

Consultation of the German government on the preparation of the German report on greenhouse gas mitigation measures in the land use sector (LULUCF).

What is at stake?

The EU decision on land use, land use change and forestry and the reporting obligation of the German Federal Government.

According to EU Decision 529/2013 (Article10), Germany is required to provide a report to the Commission by January 2015 on expected emissions in the land use sector, associated mitigation potentials, and current and future mitigation actions and their feasibility. The report refers to mitigation potentials and current and future actions in the land use, land use change and forestry sector (greenhouse gas source group "LULUCF").

The governments of the federal states as well as organizations and associations have been asked by the federal government in April 2014 to participate in a written consultation process. If your organization has not been contacted, you have the opportunity to obtain information and participate in the process through this web portal. The consultation is intended to provide an overview of existing and planned greenhouse gas mitigation measures in the area of LULUCF, their mitigation potential and feasibility. The cover letter for the consultation process with attachments can be found under "Consultation" (see below).

What does the report contain?

The report shall contain the following information:

1. a description of emissions trends to date and how they have been reduced;
2. Emissions and removals projections for the crediting period (2013 - 2020);
3. an analysis of the potential to limit or reduce emissions and to maintain or improve removals;
4. a list of the most appropriate measures that the member state plans or that need to be implemented in order to realize the potential for climate mitigation potential to be realized;
5. the existing and planned strategies for implementing the measures referred to in subparagraph (d), including a quantitative and (d), including a quantitative or qualitative description of the projected description of the likely impacts of those measures on emissions and removals, taking into account other strategies and actions related to the LULUCF sector;
6. tentative timelines for the adoption and implementation of the measures under subparagraph (4)

Information on planned LULUCF actions and reports submitted on them shall be made publicly available within three months of their submission to the Commission.

The Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) together with the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is preparing the report on LULUCF actions. The German government will compile the description of the development of GHG emissions to date and their removals from existing reporting, as well as the projections of the further development of GHG emissions in the LULUCF sector until at least 2020. These will also be provided to countries and stakeholders as baseline information. A first summary version of this baseline information is already available.

Consultation process: procedure and timetable

For the assessment of mitigation potentials and the identification and analysis of existing and potential measures with impacts on GHG emissions and sinks, we invite countries and stakeholders to a consultation process. The following steps are planned for the consultation process:

• Distribution of a questionnaire on mitigation potentials and measures in land use (see "Survey" below).
• Return of responses to the questionnaire by 01 June 2014 Distribution of a consultation paper by the end of June 2014 Return of comments on the consultation paper by 01 September 2014
• Presentation and discussion of the report at a symposium in early October 2014