Tribes, Climate Change and Solutions

Tribal Carbon Sequestration Workshop

(Nez Perce Reservation – June 2008)

As tribes face the challenges to protect their communities, homelands, and cultural and natural resources from the impacts of climate change, there are also a number of opportunities for tribes. Carbon sequestration on forested lands can preserve natural resources and generate jobs and income, while reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Sequestration also provides opportunities to stabilize tribal timber programs and develop sustainable tourism.

In June, NWF’s Tribal Lands Conservation Program co-hosted a meeting with staff from the Nez Perce Tribe Forestry Department to discuss carbon sequestration on tribal lands. The goal of the meeting was to establish tribal experiences with carbon sequestration and identify how tribes can partner to shape a carbon market to the benefit of tribal economic development and natural resource conservation.

Representatives from tribes such as Hoopa, Colville, Coeur D’Alene and Yakama joined the meeting to learn more about carbon sequestration. Nez Perce set the foundation for the meeting by providing a presentation about why they entered the carbon market, the lessons learned and the benefits Nez Perce has seen. On parts of the Nez Perce Reservation, land that was cleared for farming in the 19th century is now being returned to forest, to both sell carbon offset credits and provide habitat for wildlife. The Tramway Project, one of the Nez Perce sequestration projects, exemplifies the conversion of agricultural land to forested land. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases by sequestering carbon, projects such as Tramway can provide habitat for deer and other wildlife at the site and cultural preservation activities such gathering traditional plants for ceremonies and subsistence.

Photo of Nez Perce Tramway Project before reforestation.

Photo of Tramway Project after restoration.

NativeEnergy, a company that has historically worked with tribes on renewable energy projects, has developed a new program to work with tribes on sequestration. At the June meeting, NativeEnergy presented information about existing carbon markets and the high quality standards tribes must meet for sequestration projects (NativeEnergy powerpoint (PDF)). The market in the United States is currently voluntary. Therefore the demand for offsets has been low compared to the European market, where emissions are restricted. The U.S. market also lacks uniform standards. NativeEnergy is building its sequestration program with strong and uniform standards so that tribal projects are high quality and meet the tests of the market.

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