Standing AFOLU Steering Committee Members
AFOLU Steering Committee members serve rotating terms. The following individuals currently serve on the AFOLU Steering Committee:
- Toby Janson‐Smith (Chair), Verra (formerly Conservation International)
- Edwin Aalders, DNV
- Leslie Durschinger, Terra Global Capital
- Bettina von Hagen, Ecotrust Forest Management (EFM)
- Jeff Hayward, Rainforest Alliance
- Ken Newcombe, C‐Quest Capital
- Tim Pearson, Winrock International
- Lucio Pedroni, Carbon Decisions International
Former AFOLU Steering Committee Members*:
- Simon Dawes, Carbon Flow
- Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, Ecosystem Services, LLC
- Jennifer Haverkamp, George Washington University Law School
- Wolfgang Ortloff, Equator, LLC
- Keith Paustian, NREL, Colorado State University
- Zoe Ryan, Fauna and Flora International
- Marc Stuart, Allotrope Partners
- Virgilio Viana, Amazonas Sustainable Foundation
The following individuals were the primary AFOLU contributors:
VCS AFOLU Advisory Group
- Ken Newcombe, (VCS AFOLU AG Chair), C‐Quest Capital
- Toby Janson-Smith, VCS AFOLU project lead (formerly Conservation International)
- Bernhard Schlamadinger, TerraCarbon, Austria
- Tanja Havemann, Climate Change Capital, UK
Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR) Expert Group
- Igino Emmer (lead author), Emmer Internationaal, The Netherlands
- Neil Bird, Joanneum Research, Austria
- Manuel Estrada, National Institute of Ecology, Mexico
- Martin Schröder, TÜV SÜD, Germany
- Frank Werner, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland
Agricultural Land Management (ALM) Expert Group
- Keith Paustian (lead author), Colorado State University, USA
- Henry Janzen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada
- Daniel Martino, Carbosur, Uruguay
- David Powlson, Rothamsted Research, UK
- Mike Robinson, Syngenta, UK
Improved Forest Management (IFM) Expert Group
- Sandra Brown (lead author), Winrock International, USA
- Brian Murray, Duke University, USA
- Timothy Pearson, Winrock International, USA
- Brent Sohngen, Ohio State University, USA
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Expert Group
- Sandra Brown (co-lead author), Winrock International, USA
- Lucio Pedroni (co-lead author), CATIE, Costa Rica
- Manuel Estrada, National Institute of Ecology, Mexico
- Charlotte Streck, Climate Focus, The Netherlands
- Eveline Trines, Treeness Consult, The Netherlands
- Xiaoquan Zhang, Chinese Academy of Forestry, People’s Republic of China
VCS AFOLU Consultants
- Eveline Trines (developer of AFOLU methodological and risk tools), Treeness Consult, Netherlands
- Amanda Hawn (general editor), Ecosystem Marketplace, USA
- Michael Jenkins (program development), Forest Trends, USA
- David Shoch (buffer financial analyst), The Nature Conservancy, USA
Independent Reviewers
- Jüergen Blaser, Intercooperation, Switzerland
- Benoît Bosquet, Carbon Finance Unit, World Bank, USA
- Bruce Cabarle, WWF, USA
- Phil Cottle, ForestRe, UK
- Philip Fearnside, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Brazil
- Jan Fehse, EcoSecurities, UK
- Till Neef, EcoSecurities, UK
- Mitch Feierstein, Cheyne Capital, UK
- Steven de Gryze, Terra Global Capital, USA
- Radha Kuppali, New Forests, Australia
- Marisa Meizlish, New Forests, Australia
- Martin Schröder, TÜV SÜD, Germany
- Joerg Seifert-Granzin, FAN, Bolivia
- Bill Stanley, Zoe Kant, The Nature Conservancy, USA
- Marc Steininger, Conservation International, USA
- Marc Stuart, EcoSecurities, USA
- Craig Trotter, Landcare Research, New Zealand
- Martijn Wilder, Baker & McKenzie, Australia
- Xiaoquan Zhang, Chinese Academy of Forestry, People’s Republic of China
*Indicates professional association at the time of serving in that role
The VCS AFOLU work is dedicated to Dr. Bernhard Schlamadinger, who passed away on 28 August 2008. A tireless champion for the world’s forests, Bernhard was instrumental in developing the VCS Program’s groundbreaking rules for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-Use Projects. The work of the expert committee was generously supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
Other Programs
![]()
Plastic Waste Reduction Standard
Plastic Waste Reduction Program The Plastic Waste Reduction Program (Plastic Program) enables robust impact assessment…
Learn More >
Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard
The SD VISta Program The Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) is a flexible…
Learn More >