The Verified Carbon Standard considers soil carbon offset projects from around the world. Recent research plus new review articles in the field of soil science suggests a strong potential for developing international soil carbon credit projects in grasslands, savannas, and other rangelands.
East Africa
New studies from Serengeti National Park show that increasing
grazing intensity by diverse wildlife species can lead to annual carbon dioxide
offsets of 300-650 metric tons per square kilometer. Reducing fire
frequency in more productive grasslands in the region could also lead to
significant carbon dioxide offsets.
Recent studies suggest that conserving wildlife instead of managing for intensive livestock grazing in the Trans-Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau Region of Asia leads to an annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions of 100-250 metric tons per square kilometer each year.
North America
A recent review (click here for PDF file)
shows that sustained livestock grazing in rangelands dominated by warm-season
grasses with annual precipitation less than 400 millimeters increases annual carbon
dioxide offsets by 50-150 metric tons.