REDD + Initiatives Indian Perspective Arun K. Bansal, IFS (retd.)

Former Addl. DG Forests, India

National Workshop of JICA assisted forestry projects in India on “Sustainable Forests & Livelihood through JFM”

organised by TBGP at Chennai, 17th & 18th February 2014

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Forests & Climate change • Forests cover 31% of the world’s land area 4 billion ha • 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood • High rate of deforestation – 13 MHa/annum although

has come down from 16 MHa/annum during 1990s. • Deforestation has important implications for CC. But

deforestation figures do not reflect degradation – which causes loss of bio-diversity, soil erosion, and decline in biomass.

• ~ 51.9% area under management plans aiming at SFM. • Forests are both sinks (80% of carbon stored in land

vegetation & 40% of carbon in soils) and sources (25% of GHG released are from deforestation) .

• Reduction of Deforestation and degradation and increase in forest cover are important for CC mitigation. 2

Net change in forest area by country, 2005–2010 (ha/year)

Source: FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 3

Uniqueness of India’s Forests

• India has 1210 million human population (2011 census) [population density 382 per sq. km up from 264 in 1991 & 325 in 2011]

• 464 million livestock (excluding Poultry).

• 21.8% population is below poverty line and more than 273 million people have dependence on forests for their livelihood and some for subsistence needs.

• Forest cover is 21.05% & Tree Outside Forests is 2.76% of GA.

• Per capita forest cover is 0.06 ha compared to global figure of 0.6 ha.

• In spite of vast pressure - forest cover has stabilized for last decade or so, but quality of forest cover??

• As per FSI’s assessment (ISFR, 2011) carbon stock in India’s forests has increased by 592 Million tons between 1994 – 2004 (five carbon pools - Above Ground Biomass, Below Ground Biomass, Dead wood, Litter, Soil Carbon).

• Carbon stock is ~96 t/ha compared to global average of 162 t/ha. 4

What REDD + is? • A part of Climate Change mitigation strategy under UNFCC. • An incentive based mechanism for promoting and rewarding

forest ecosystem conservation • Funds ? by developed countries to developing countries –

fund based or performance based? • RED - 11th COP 2005 at Montreal • REDD – 13th COP 2007 – ”Bali action plan” recognised

importance of forest degradation and subsequently positive elements of conservation , SFM etc. got included (important role of India).

• Reducing emissions from deforestation and (forest) degradation and includes positive elements of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock (with biodiversity conservations, ecosystem service, recognising rights of indigenous (local) communities.

• .. 5

WARSAW framework for REDD +

• Results based finance to progress full implementation of activities

• Coordination of support for the implementation of mitigation action in forest sector.

• Modalities for national forest monitoring system

• Summary of information on safeguards

• Forest reference emission levels

• Modalities for Monitoring reporting and verifying

• Addressing drivers of degradation

Some pledges for int’l funds have been made but ....

we need to look internally also – CAMPA – EPAs – 6

REDD+ beyond carbon

• Social and Environmental safeguards

• Addressing drivers of degradation

• Local communities to get benefits of addl. carbon

• Non-carbon benefits – ecosystem services, improved governance

• Capacity Development - communities, FD and other stakeholders.

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Phases of REDD+ Implementation

Readiness

Demonstration

Result based REDD+

•Capacity building

•Policies and measures

•REDD+ strategy

•Monitoring system

• Implementation of policies

• Implementation of strategies

•Capacity building

•Results based demo.

• Payments

(Performance-based)

• MRV

•Transaction Costs

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How are we placed for REDD + ?

• Long history of scientific forest management.

• Trained cadres of foresters

• System of Working Plans – revision every 1-0 years with detailed assessment of results

• Community participation since 1990

• Survey of Forest Resources using satellite data

• Assessment of carbon stock (with SFR).

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India’s REDD+ Initiatives

REDD+ incentives to be passed on to the communities

National REDD Cell in the MOEF

Reference manual – draft under scrutiny

Green India Mission – under NAPCC – focuses on landscape

approach for increasing forest cover over 5 Mha, improve quality of forest cover over another 5 MHA, increasing quality of ecosystem services, good governance at village level, and also to provide services for improved monitoring at the outcome level to avail benefits under REDD +

FOREST Plus Project jointly with USAID 4 landscapes in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,

Karnataka, and Sikkim Focus on

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India’s REDD+ Initiatives pilot studies As a part of Norwegian Framework Agreement with TERI National, State and Community level Consultations Six sites

o Temperate forests (Uttarakhand)

o Dry-Deciduous Mixed Forests (Uttar Pradesh)

o Moist –Deciduous Forests (Madhya Pradesh)

o Moist deciduous-Mixed forests (Odisha)

o Mangrove Forests - Sundarbans (West Bengal)

o Tropical Moist Deciduous forests (Nagaland

2 in JICA assisted forestry projects Odisha – Angul - Jereng Budhiapahad VSS 200 ha. +8% UP – Renukote – Gardawa Forest Beat 77 ha. +71

Although current carbon was measured based on five pools, change was compared based on two pools,, namely AGB & BGB, by computing them for baseline year, 1990, from NDVI through regression analysis.

(Ref: Assessment for Designing REDD Plus Project in India ,TERI, 2013) 11

Institutional Arrangement

Ref: REDD+ Manual for Practioners, by AK Bansal, Madhu Verma, Rajesh Kumar, S Mehra, and P Batra, IIFM, November 2012

Ref : Institutional framework for Implementing REDD+ in India, R Sud, JV Sharma, AKBansal, in SFM and REDD Plus in India, TERI, 2013

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Action points for REDD + readiness

• Develop understanding of REDD+

• Conduct stakeholder workshops

– Mechanisms to assess forest condition & bio-diversity

– Ensuring safeguards for the communities

– Evolving benefit distribution system

• Measuring carbon (five pools)

• Capacity development (training) for use of GIS & carbon/biodiversity assessments

• Evolve training modules/materials

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Activities under JICA Forestry Projects

• Forest plus alternate livelihood program aiming at reducing sustenance dependence on forests.

• Comprehensive Micro Plans – addressing drivers of degradation.

• Convergence of various programs

• Improving governance in JFMCs

• Village/JFMC level documentation.

• RS mapping of forest areas - baseline data and change monitoring.

• Community involvement in monitoring

• Performance assessment of communities.

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What more can be done under JICA Projects

• Developing/enhancing understanding of REDD+ • Enhance Capacities of Communities, Foresters, and

other stakeholders for carbon & biodiversity measurements, and documentation.

• Look at neighbouring forests - leakages. • Evolving sustainable harvest levels of various NTFPs . • Preparation of REDD+ Training Manuals • Create corpus in JICA Forestry Projects for providing

incentives towards enhancing sustainability. • Few pilots in each state aiming at “REDD+ readiness”. • Consider constituting a national level consultative

group to take the matter forward in tune with MoEF’s REDD + strategy.

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bansalka@yahoo.in

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final word

REDD+ is to be seen as an opportunity to improve SFM

and incentives as co-benefit or additional bonus

as and when they come