Promoting Access to Carbon Equity (PACE) Centre is a South African based non-profit organisation. PACE’s focus is on the development of high quality Clean Development Mechanism and the Voluntary Carbon Trading projects in Southern Africa.

PACE activity is based upon support for Credible Carbon^TM activities, that is carbon-saving initiatives that are sustainable and have local development benefits. The “Credible Carbon” TM approach ensures that CDM and carbon off-set projects in Southern Africa:

Work and Activities

Key to the success of activities supported by PACE is to maintain their financial viability while ensuring the credibility of the credits being traded. PACE distinguishes itself from the other companies operating in this sector by:

Achivements

 In its start-up phase, PACE was responsible for generating a pipeline of CDM projects hosted in South Africa – this was part of a project funded by the UKFCO. Three projects developed by PACE, covering efficient lighting, solar water heaters and biofuels are currently included in the formal CDM pipeline of the DNA in South Africa.

PACE has now devoted increased attention to the voluntary offset market and is currently preparing a website that will enable voluntary carbon offset contributions to support Credible CarbonTM projects in Southern Africa. The concept of Credible CarbonTM has been introduced by PACE to encourage investment in carbon-saving measures that will have a positive and sustainable impact on the living conditions and economic development of people in the target project locations. This is based upon improved access to environmentally-sound energy sources, and the increased efficiency of energy use. Such projects are ‘small-scale’ in terms of carbon saving and so need the new approach provided by Credible CarbonTM to attract appropriate investment. 

Following the launch of its new website, PACE will assist developers of projects for CDM and voluntary offsets, matching the projects to relevant carbon buyers.

Sample Project Activity

"Spekboom thicket will sequester an 17.5 tons of CO2 per hectare per year more which involves continued degradation."

Title: Development of a bio-sequestration project in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Location: Eastern Cape province; South Africa

PACE has assisted in the development of a bio-sequestration project in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The project involves the planting of sub-tropical thicket vegetation in order to re-establish an indigenous biome that has been severely damaged by overgrazing. The thicket vegetation is re-established through the planting of the succulent bush Portulacaria afra (known locally as “spekboom”) and by the initial exclusion of commercial goats.

Based on the results of a pilot project it has been conservatively established that healthy re-established spekboom thicket will sequester an 17.5 tons of CO2 per hectare per year more than the business as usual state which involves continued degradation. This additional CO2 is sequestered in four carbon pools 1) above ground plant biomass, 2) root biomass, 3) soil carbon and 4) leaf litter. In addition to the measurable impact on GHG sequestration the project will contribute to improved soil moisture retention, increased biodiversity, reduced fire risk and much needed employment in this poor area. 

 Since the roll-out of this methodology will take place over a range of sites in the project area, a programmatic CDM framework is being prepared. A certified programmatic CDM project will allow local farmers and other private sector land users to contribute to the project once they see the value and merits associated with the methodology.

The need to protect the region’s succulent biome and the potentially large return from carbon sequestration using P. afra were the key factors that initiated the project. This form of carbon sequestration has been quantified and the associated ecological and socio-economic benefits have been demonstrated over a 30-year period by a farmer living near to the project location.

The cost of rehabilitation, the cost of preventing the illegal grazing activities and the incentives faced by rural pastoralists to overgraze their land given insecure tenure regimes contribute to the barriers that have prevented this project from taking place without the benefit of carbon revenue.