Accounting for indirect land-use changes in GHG balances of biofuels: Review of current approaches

Increased demand for biofuels is expected to produce changes in the present land-use configuration. Furthermore there is a growing concern about the effect of land-use change on biodiversity, food supply, soil and water quality. Biofuels production on current land and use of biomass in a given region can induce displacement of activities and land-use changes elsewhere. This effect is known as indirect land-use change (ILUC). Due to changes in the carbon stock of the soil and the biomass, indirect land-use change has consequences in the GHG balance of a biofuel.