Centralised National Risk Assessment for Category 3 of FSC Controlled Wood
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FSC Controlled Wood Centralised National Risk Assessment Category 3 (HCV) in Brazil Centralised National Risk Assessment for Category 3 of FSC Controlled Wood Risk to High Conservation Values in Brazil Finalised Report. February 2015 1 FSC Controlled Wood Centralised National Risk Assessment Category 3 (HCV) in Brazil About The Proforest Initiative and HCV Resource Network The Proforest Initiative is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1137523). Since 2011, the Proforest Initiative has been hosting the HCV Resource Network, a global multi-stakeholder initiative established by a group of organisations who use the HCV approach, including environmental and social NGOs, international development agencies, timber and forest product certifiers, suppliers and buyers, and forest managers. The Network aims to encourage collaboration, provide information and support on the evolving usage of HCV, and ensure that a consistent approach to HCV is understood and applied throughout the world. To promote consistency and best-practice in the use of the HCV concept, the Network has established a globally representative Technical Panel composed of experts in the use and interpretation of the HCV concept. A significant function of the panel is to undertake peer reviews of specific HCV assessments or uses and it has developed a standard process and criteria for conducting such reviews. For this report, your contact persons are: Audrey Versteegen [email protected] Anders Lindhe [email protected] HCV Resource Network South Suite, Frewin Chambers, Frewin Court, Oxford OX1 3HZ United Kingdom E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 1865 243439 2 FSC Controlled Wood Centralised National Risk Assessment Category 3 (HCV) in Brazil Table of contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................... 5 2 Methodology .................................................................... 5 2.1 Risk .................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Stakeholder feedback ...................................................................... 6 2.3 Process ............................................................................................ 6 2.3.1 Step 1. Scale .......................................................................................... 7 2.3.2 Step 2. HCV components ....................................................................... 8 2.3.3 Step 3. HCV occurrence ......................................................................... 8 2.3.4 Step 4. HCV threat assessment ............................................................. 9 2.3.5 Steps 5 and 6. HCV safeguards and threat mitigation ......................... 10 2.3.6 Step 7. Specified risk areas .................................................................. 10 2.4 References and data sources ........................................................11 3 Identification of low risk areas in Brazil ........................... 12 3.1 The Brazilian context .....................................................................12 3.1.1 Spatial Scale for the Analysis ............................................................... 12 3.1.2 Identification and Location of the 6 categories of HCV....................... 13 3.1.3 Proxies used for the 6 HCV categories ................................................ 16 3.1.4 Threats from forestry operations ........................................................ 18 3.1.5 Existing Statutory Protection .............................................................. 21 3.1.6 Effectiveness of Statutory Protection and the Forest Code ................ 23 3.2 Indicator 3.1: HCV1 Species Diversity ...........................................26 3.3 Indicator 3.2: HCV2 Landscapes ....................................................28 3.4 Indicator 3.3: HCV3 Ecosystems ....................................................30 3.5 Indicator 3.4: HCV4 Ecosystem Services .......................................32 3.5.1 Protection against soil erosion in critical situations ............................ 33 3.5.2 Barriers to destructive fires ................................................................. 38 3.5.3 Protection of water quality and flood prevention .............................. 40 3.6 Indicator 3.5: HCV5 Basic needs of local communities .................44 3.7 Indicator 3.6: HCV6 Sites of cultural significance ..........................48 ANNEX 1 Background Data ................................................... 52 ANNEX 2 Data Sources .......................................................... 93 3 FSC Controlled Wood Centralised National Risk Assessment Category 3 (HCV) in Brazil List of figures Figure 1: Stepwise decision-making tree for risk assessment to High Conservation Values within the Controlled Wood framework. Each step is detailed in Section 2.3 of this report.7 Figure 2: The 6 official biomes of Brazil. .............................................................................. 12 Figure 3: Federal states and Mesoregions (with their official code) of Brazil used for the risk analysis. ......................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 4. Illustrative map showing the total area (in hectares) of pine and eucalyptus plantations in Brazil, by state. Map excludes the approximately 350,000 ha of plantations formed of species other than pine and eucalyptus. Map taken from ABRAF 2013. ............ 19 Figure 5: Level of compliance with the Forest Code 2012 in each mesoregion (Source: Soares-Filho et al. 2014: “Percent difference between the remaining area of native vegetation and the area required to comply with the 2012 FC. Positive values indicate forest surpluses or land that may be legally deforested. Negative values indicate forest debts or land that requires restoration”). ............................................................................ 21 Figure 6: Location of potential HCV1 areas overlaid with existing protected areas in the mesoregions of Brazil. .......................................................................................................... 26 Figure 7: Final risk map for HCV1 in Brazil. .......................................................................... 28 Figure 8: Location of potential HCV2 areas overlaid with existing protected areas in the mesoregions of Brazil. .......................................................................................................... 29 Figure 9: Final Risk map for HCV2 in Brazil. ......................................................................... 30 Figure 10: Location of potential HCV3 areas overlaid with existing protected areas in the mesoregions of Brazil. .......................................................................................................... 31 Figure 11: Final risk map for HCV3 in Brazil. ........................................................................ 32 Figure 12. Total deforestation up to 2013 in the Amazon biome, overlaid with deforestation occurring on steep slopes (>17 degrees). Please note that this map is illustrative and some deforested areas may not be accurately represented at this coarse scale. .................................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 13: Areas at potential risk from soil erosion in Brazil. .............................................. 36 Figure 14: Final risk map for sourcing of Controlled Wood from natural forests for HCV4 landslides component. ......................................................................................................... 36 Figure 15. Final risk map for sourcing of Controlled Wood from timber plantations for HCV4 landslides component. ............................................................................................... 37 Figure 16. Total fire occurrences in 2013. INPE. .................................................................. 38 Figure 17: Final risk map for HCV4 fire component in Brazil. .............................................. 40 Figure 18. HCV 4 proxy areas for protection of water quality and flood prevention, overlaid with strict protection and sustainable use Conservation Units. .......................................... 42 Figure 19. Final risk map for HCV4 protection of water quality and flood prevention in Brazil..................................................................................................................................... 43 Figure 20: Quilombola territories in August 2014. .............................................................. 46 Figure 21. Location of potential HCV5 areas (inc Quilombola communities from 2011) overlaid with existing protected areas in the mesoregions of Brazil. .................................. 47 Figure 22: Final risk map for HCV5 in Brazil. ........................................................................ 48 Figure 23. Location of potential HCV6 areas (inc Quilombola communities from 2011) overlaid with existing protected areas in the mesoregions of Brazil. .................................. 50 Figure 24: Final risk map for HCV6 in Brazil. ........................................................................ 51 4 FSC Controlled Wood Centralised National Risk Assessment Category 3 (HCV) in Brazil 1 Introduction The development of full National Risk Assessments (NRA) for each Controlled Wood (CW) category