A land based carbon inventory and its changes over time helps provide a better understanding of how land use decisions affect the region’s carbon storage capacity and inform actions to protect local carbon sinks.
Metro Vancouver’s carbon storage dataset uses the regional land cover classification dataset and other available mapping datasets to quantify amounts of carbon stored in biomass, including trees, shrubs, and soil throughout the region. The dataset covers the Metro Vancouver region and the full extents of the drinking watersheds, along with estuarine, and intertidal areas. It provides spatial estimates of stored carbon that can be used to support decision making. For example, the dataset could be used to determine how much carbon could potentially be released by developing an area or conversely how much carbon could be retained by protecting an area.
Contextual performance measure
Metro 2050 establishes the performance measure as the tonnes of carbon storage in natural areas including lands with Rural, Conservation and Recreation, and Agricultural regional land use designations.
Progress
This is a contextual measure. An update to the Regional Carbon Storage Dataset is planned for completion in 2026. The carbon storage dataset measures the tonnes of carbon storage in the natural areas with the designations above.