UCF, Nature Conservancy Study Could Help U.S. Develop Cap-and-Trade Model

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA — May 27, 2009 — The University of Central Florida and The Nature Conservancy will study how much carbon the 12,000-acre Disney Wilderness Preserve stores and releases. The results could help to form the foundation for calculating carbon credits related to a cap-and-trade program.

UCF biologist and professor Ross Hinkle and scientists from The Nature Conservancy are looking for the best locations within the Kissimmee preserve to locate highly sensitive monitoring equipment that will collect meteorological, water, energy and carbon dioxide data.

“When we’re done setting everything up, we will be able to take data from the system, begin to understand whether this ecosystem is storing carbon, releasing carbon or doing both under various environmental conditions,” Hinkle said. “Then we can develop a reliable, quantifiable model for calculating carbon storage in natural ecosystems.”

Cap and trade provides economic incentives for companies such as electrical utilities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a climate change bill that would require a 17-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and set up a cap-and-trade program.

Some companies already sell carbon credits to companies looking to voluntarily reduce their carbon footprints. However, there is no standardized way to calculate the credits.

Hinkle expects that in two to five years the researchers will be able to quantify exactly how much carbon dioxide is sequestered and stored within the ecosystem and how much is released based on how land is managed, including by restoring wetlands and conducting prescribed fires. Then the team will develop a mathematical model that will be able to calculate how much carbon is released per acre based on what is done to the land.

That calculation could come in handy for a cap-and-trade program.
Central Florida land owners would then have an idea of how much money they could earn by keeping the land in its natural state and selling the credits to companies looking to reduce their footprints.

The climate bill is expected to come to a full vote in the U.S. House by late summer.

Hinkle said the study is just one of the many benefits of a new partnership with the internationally known Nature Conservancy.

Worldwide, the nonprofit organization has helped protect more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers in all 50 states and 30 countries. Locally, the Conservancy owns and manages the Disney Wilderness Preserve, 12,000 acres of land that include pine flatwoods, oak scrub and wetlands. The Walt Disney Company acquired the original 8,500 acre ranch for wetland mitigation and together with the environmental community and state agencies created the first large-scale, off-site restoration project of its kind almost 20 years ago.

Since then, the preserve has grown and The Nature Conservancy has begun the task of returning the land to its natural state, helping the local environment and preserving critical habitat for animals and plants. The Conservancy has partnered with UCF on many occasions, giving students access to conduct individual research.

The Conservancy and UCF solidified their partnership this year and began collaborating on the Disney Wilderness Preserve project. The study also involves scientists from the United States Geological Survey’s Florida Integrated Science Center, located in the Central Florida Research Park next to UCF’s main campus.

“This is a great opportunity to coordinate research,” said Doria R.
Gordon, the director of Conservation Science for The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “We’re very interested in understanding the effect of land management practices on carbon storage in Florida’s natural systems. Together we can look at some of the critical questions that face managers across the state.”

For UCF, the partnership also provides scientists a research gold mine.

“This partnership is an incredible opportunity,” Hinkle said. “It gives us a range of natural habitat to conduct research that is critical to protecting biodiversity and our survival.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.