About the Low Carbon Livestock - Research Network (LCL-RN)

The LCL-RN, created in August 2020, focuses on quantifying and estimating GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and carbon sequestration in livestock systems. Its main objectives are to identify future mitigation options and improve the livestock sector's inventories in the participating countries. The network was created by multiple partners from Latin America and Europe: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Mexico, Peru, Spain and Uruguay. New partners are welcome. The LCL-RN covers the following scientific areas: Rumen Microbiology, Circular Economy in Livestock Production, C and Soil Sequestration, Modeling and Inventory Development, and Ruminant Nutrition and Manure Management.

What LCL-RN provides

LCL-RN provides the opportunity for complementary research activities with diverse livestock systems and evaluation of mitigation practices that may not exist in Europe or other parts of the world. As the LCL-RN is a regional platform, it also provides the ability to share databases and increase dissemination of results among all LCL-RN countries.

LCL-RN studies many systems

• Pasture systems: Pastoral, silvopastoral, integrated farming systems, extensive and intensive
• Animal type: dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goat and alpaca 
• Climate: temperate, arid (desert and semi-arid), tropical and continental

LCL-RN shares and improves many methods

• Animal and manure GHG measurement methods: respiration chambers, SF₆ technique, tunnel, GreenFeed, handheld laser, eddy covariance towers, N₂O & CH₄ with static chambers and NH₄⁺ with continuous flux samplers
• Methods to measure C sequestration
• Microbiology: in vitro and in vivo measurements of rumen microbial activity, active compounds to reduce enteric CH₄
• Modeling: inventories based on IPCC 2006 methodology, transitioning to Tier 2 and Tier 3 approaches, production typologies, life cycle assessment, impacts of climate change on livestock, mitigation, C balance, proxies to predict emissions, effects of best management practices