The Envira Amazonia Project a Tropical Forest Conservation Project in Acre, Brazil
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Envira Amazonia Project A Tropical Forest Conservation Project in Acre, Brazil Prepared by Brian McFarland from: 853 Main Street East Aurora, New York - 14052 (240) 247-0630 With significant contributions from: James Eaton, TerraCarbon JR Agropecuária e Empreendimentos EIRELI Pedro Freitas, Carbon Securities Ayri Rando, Independent Community Specialist A Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard Project Implementation Report TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER PAGE .................................................................................................................... Page 4 INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………..……………. Page 5 GENERAL SECTION G1. Project Goals, Design and Long-Term Viability …………………………….………. Page 6 A. Project Overview 1. Project Proponents 2. Project’s Climate, Community and Biodiversity Objectives 3. Project Location and Parameters B. Project Design and Boundaries 4. Project Area and Project Zone 5. Stakeholder Identification and Analysis 6. Communities, Community Groups and Other Stakeholders 7. Map Identifying Locations of Communities and Project 8. Project Activities, Outputs, Outcomes and Impacts 9. Project Start Date, Lifetime and GHG Accounting Period C. Risk Management and Long-Term Viability 10. Natural and Human-Induced Risks 11. Enhance Benefits Beyond Project Lifetime 12. Financial Mechanisms Adopted G2. Without-Project Land Use Scenario and Additionality ………………..…………….. Page 52 1. Most Likely Land-Use Scenario 2. Additionality of Project Benefits G3. Stakeholder Engagement ……………………………………………………………. Page 57 A. Access to Information 1. Accessibility of Full Project Documentation 2. Information on Costs, Risks and Benefits 3. Community Explanation of Validation and Verification Process B. Consultation 4. Community Influence on Project Design 5. Consultations Directly with Communities C. Participation in Decision-Making and Implementation 6. Measures to Enable Effective Participation D. Anti-Discrimination 7. Measures to Ensure No Discrimination E. Feedback and Grievance Redress Procedure 8. Demonstrate Formalized, Clear Grievance Redress Procedure F. Worker Relations 9. Orientation and Training for Project’s Workers 10. Equal Opportunity Page | 1 11. Laws and Regulations Covering Worker’s Rights 12. Risks to Worker Safety G4. Management Capacity ………………………………………………….…………… Page 74 1. Project’s Governance Structure, Roles and Responsibilities 2. Key Technical Skills 3. Financial Health of Implementing Organization G5. Legal Status and Property Rights …………………………………..……………….. Page 84 A. Respect for Land Rights, Territories and Resources; Free, Prior and Informed Consent 1. Statutory and Customary Rights to Lands 2. Free, Prior and Informed Consent 3. No Involuntary Removal or Relocation 4. Illegal Activities That Could Affect Project’s Benefits 5. Ongoing or Unresolved Conflicts Over Land Rights B. Legal Status 6. List of International, National and Local Laws 7. Approval from Appropriate Authorities 8. Ability to Claim Project’s Generation of Benefits 9. Tradable Benefits and Avoidance of Double Counting CLIMATE SECTION The Climate Section has been waived because the Project is simultaneously being designed, registered and implemented according to the Verified Carbon Standard. GL1. Climate Change Adaptation Benefits ………………………………………...…… Page 98 COMMUNITY SECTION CM1. Without-Project Scenario for Communities …………………………..…..……… Page 106 1. Describe Communities 2. Project Zone’s High Conservation Values for Communities 3. Community Changes Under Without-Project Land Use Scenario CM2. Net Positive Community Impacts …………………………………………...…… Page 108 1. Methodology and Assessment of Impacts on Community Groups 2. Measures Needed to Mitigate Negative Impacts on Community Groups 3. Demonstrate Net Well-Being Impacts on Community Groups 4. Demonstrate No High Conservation Values Negatively Affected CM3. Other Stakeholder Impacts ………………………………….……………………. Page 109 1. Identify Potential Positive and Negative Impacts on Other Stakeholders 2. Measures to Mitigate Negative Well-Being on Other Stakeholders 3. Demonstrate No Net Negative Impacts on Other Stakeholders CM4. Community Impact Monitoring ………………………………………….………. Page 112 1. Develop and Implement a Community Impact Monitoring Plan 2. Develop and Implement High Conservation Values Monitoring Plan 3. Disseminate Monitoring Plan Page | 2 GL2. Exceptional Community Benefits …………………………………………..…….. Page 118 1. Demonstrate Project Zone’s Communities Below National Poverty Line 2. Demonstrate Short- and Long-Term Net Positive Community Benefits 3. Identify Risks for Community Members Participation 4. Identify Marginalized and/or Vulnerable Community Groups 5. Demonstrate Project Generates Net Positive Impacts for Women 6. Describe Design and Implementation of Benefit Sharing Mechanism 7. Explain Communication of Benefits, Costs and Risks 8. Describe Project’s Governance and Implementation Structures 9. Demonstrate Project is Developing Local Capacity BIODIVERSITY SECTION B1. Biodiversity Without–Project Scenario ……………………………….……………. Page 121 1. Biodiversity Within Project Zone 2. Evaluate Project Zone’s High Conservation Values 3. Describe Without-Project Land-Use Scenario Effect on Biodiversity B2. Net Positive Biodiversity Impacts …………………………..……………………… Page 131 1. Methodology and Assessment of Impacts on Biodiversity 2. Demonstrate Project’s Net Impact on Biodiversity 3. Measures Needed to Mitigate Negative Impacts on Biodiversity 4. Demonstrate No High Conservation Values Negatively Affected 5. Identify All Species Used by Project and No Invasive Species Used 6. Describe Possible Adverse Effects of Non-Native Species on Project 7. Guarantee No GMOs Used to Generate GHG Emission Reductions 8. Describe Possible Adverse Effects of Chemicals Used for Project 9. Describe Process for Waste Products Resulting from Project Activities B3. Offsite Biodiversity Impacts ………………………………………………...……… Page 134 1. Identify Potential Negative Offsite Biodiversity Impacts 2. Describe Measures Needed to Mitigate Negative Offsite Biodiversity Impacts 3. Evaluate Unmitigated Negative Offsite Biodiversity Impacts B4. Biodiversity Impact Monitoring ……………………………………………………. Page 135 1. Develop and Implement a Biodiversity Impact Monitoring Plan 2. Develop and Implement High Conservation Values Monitoring Plan 3. Disseminate Monitoring Plan GL3. Exceptional Biodiversity Benefits ……………………………..…………………. Page 139 1. Demonstrate Project Zone’s High Biodiversity Conservation Priority 2. Describe Recent Population Trends of Each Trigger Species 3. Describe Measures to Maintain or Enhance Population of Trigger Species 4. Indications of Trigger Species’ Population Trend Appendix A: Bibliography ………………………………………...…………………… Page 145 Appendix B: Acronyms …………………………………………………………..……. Page 152 Appendix C: Stakeholder Identification ………………………………….……………. Page 155 Page | 3 COVER PAGE I. Project Name: The Envira Amazonia Project - A Tropical Forest Conservation Project in Acre, Brazil (i.e., The Envira Amazonia Project) II. Project Location: Near city of Feijó, State of Acre, Brazil III. Project Proponent: CarbonCo, LLC is the lead Project Proponent, along with Carbon Securities and JR Agropecuária e Empreendimentos EIRELI. CarbonCo’s contact and address is: Brian McFarland, Director, CarbonCo, LLC 853 Main Street, East Aurora, New York, 14052, United States of America Phone: +1-(240) 247-0630 Email: [email protected] IV. Auditor: Instituto Manejo Certificacao Florestal e Agrícola (IMAFLORA) is the auditor, with assistance from Rainforest Alliance. IMAFLORA’s contact and address is: Bruno Brazil de Souza, IMAFLORA Chico Mendes Road, 185 - Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil - 13426-420 Phone: +55 19 3429 0848 or +55 19 98324 5522 Email: [email protected] Klaus Geiger, Rainforest Alliance Phone: +1 (802) 923-3766 Email: [email protected] V. Project State Date, GHG Accounting Period, and Project Lifetime: The Project Start Date is August 2, 2012 with a 10 year GHG Accounting Period and the Project Lifetime is 30 years. VI. Project Implementation Period: The initial CCBS Project Implementation Report (PIR) covered the first monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) time period from August 2, 2012 to December 31, 2014. This second CCBS PIR covers the MRV time period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. VII. History of CCB Status: The CCBS Project Design Document was officially validated on April 15, 2015. The Project’s initial CCBS PIR was verified on February 16, 2016. The Project is now undergoing its second CCBS verification. VIII. Edition of CCB Standard Being Used: Third Edition IX. Summary of Climate, Community and Biodiversity Benefits Generated: From August 2, 2012 to December 31, 2014, the Envira Amazonia Project reduced deforestation and mitigated the associated greenhouse gas emissions, engaged local communities, hired a local project manager, began designing various projects and programs such as commercializing the collection of medicinal plants and granting land tenure, numerous vulnerable trees species and endemic bird species have been discovered, and the Project conserved the Project Area’s rich tropical biodiversity. Page | 4 From January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, the Envira Amazonia Project reduced deforestation and mitigated the associated greenhouse gas emissions, preserved biologically diverse habitats, initiated and completed an onsite bird study which identified several endemic and threatened species, continued engaging local communities and stakeholders, and distributed dental