Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor (COFAV) – Madagascar Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards Project Design Document Developed By: Conservation International Version: 1.0 – 23 May, 2013 Acknowledgements Conservation International prepared this document on behalf of the Ministry of Water and Forests of Madagascar and the people living around the COFAV forest corridor. We wish to acknowledge the invaluable collaboration, support and contribution of the many organizations named in this document that have brought the COFAV project from its initial conception stage to the reality that it is today. 2 Executive Summary The Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest is located in the southern half of the humid eastern forest biome of Madagascar and is a narrow strip approximately 300 km long. A new protected area, the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor Natural Resource Reserve is being created in this area, 135,212 hectares of which forms the project area of the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor (COFAV) Forest Carbon Project1. The project lies on Madagascar’s eastern escarpment and links Ranomafana National Park in the north and Andringitra National Park in the south. The protection of COFAV will provide significant climate benefits through the REDD mechanism as set out in the Project Description prepared under the VCS guidelines and entitled “Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor (COFAV) – Madagascar”. It is also critically important for biodiversity as it represents one of Madagascar’s last remaining intact corridors that links areas of low, mid, and high altitude forest and allows for genetic connectivity of animal and plant populations. Over 800 species of plants and 300 species of animals have been identified in these forests, including 17 species of lemur and two highly endangered species of bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus and Prolemur simus). Four species in the corridor are considered critically endangered based on the 2008 IUCN red list (Prolemur simus, Neodrepanis hypoxantha, Paratilapia vondrozo, Bedotia sp. and Vevembe), 4 species are listed as endangered (Eulemur cinereiceps, Hapalemur aureus, Mantella bernhardi, and Ptychochromoides vondrozo) and many more are considered vulnerable to extinction. In addition to its role in carbon storage and harbouring biodiversity, COFAV is of tremendous importance to the people of the region. The Betsileo and Tanala ethnic groups use the forest for collecting timber and non-timber forest products, grazing their cattle, and in cultural and spiritual ceremonies. Their main livelihood pursuits include rice cultivation, cattle herding, and growing cash crops such as coffee and bananas. The corridor is a vital source of freshwater for much of the center of the country as the headwaters of 25 rivers begin within this forest corridor. The forest corridor is largely a remote, rural area and encompasses 10 districts comprised of 43 communes. The project zone is the area immediately around the forest in which people’s activities influence the project area. The project zone includes all of the Fokontanys (a Malagasy administrative area) that neighbour the forested project area, encompassing a population of aproximatelly 166,000 habitants. Threats to this unique site include slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal small-scale mining and illegal, but selective and small-scale logging. The corridor is also threatened by its geography as it is a mosaic of land uses that includes villages, agricultural lands, grazing lands, roads, 1 Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the term COFAV in this Project Description refers to the COFAV Forest Carbon Project rather than the COFAV protected area or any other definition of the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor 3 and a railway. Of these threats slash and burn is by far the most important cause of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions. The human activity in and around COFAV threatens its long-term ecological viability, jeopardizing the very cultures and communities that currently depend upon it so heavily. In addition, unsustainable practices threaten the unique biodiversity of the area, which has been identified as a priority conservation site in Madagascar due to its high level of endemism. In order to reduce deforestation and the fragmentation of the corridor, while also promoting alternative livelihoods and development for the resident communities, the Government of Madagascar, in collaboration with Conservation International, has developed the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor (COFAV). Through the development of COFAV, the project will use carbon finance to implement activities needed to reduce deforestation. The foundation of the Avoided Unplanned Deforestation (AUD) project is the creation and long term management of a Natural Resources Nature Reserve (equivalent to a VI protected area following IUCN’s categories). Two types of management zones comprise the project area: an inner strict conservation zone; and a belt of sustainable use areas that surround the strict conservation zone. The management rights for the sustainable use areas are delegated to the resident communities. Conservation International provides technical support to the communities and is the central, overall manager of the project. It is the community units, within the overall management of the protected area, that form the building blocks of the project and the means by which the communities will undertake the project activities that aim to stop deforestation. By conserving highly threatened biodiversity, bringing new alternative revenues to communities and ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services to them in the face of climate change, this project will contribute to three important objectives: community development; biodiversity conservation and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. 4 Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................... 8 General Section .................................................................................................. 11 G1. Original Conditions in the Project Area ......................................................... 11 G2. Baseline Projections ................................................................................. 54 G3. Project Design and Goals ........................................................................... 59 G4. Management Capacity and Best Practices ..................................................... 81 G5. Legal Status and Property Rights ................................................................ 86 Climate Section ................................................................................................... 91 CL1. Net Positive Climate Impacts ..................................................................... 91 CL2. Offsite Climate Impacts (“Leakage”) .......................................................... 94 CL3. Climate Impact Monitoring ...................................................................... 95 Community Section ........................................................................................... 97 CM1. Net Positive Community Impacts.............................................................. 97 CM2. Offsite Stakeholder Impacts .................................................................. 103 CM3. Community Impact Monitoring ............................................................. 104 Biodiversity Section .......................................................................................... 115 B1. Net Positive Biodiversity Impacts ............................................................... 115 B2. Offsite Biodiversity Impacts ...................................................................... 116 B3. Biodiversity Impact Monitoring ................................................................. 117 Golden Level Section ........................................................................................ 121 GL1. Climate change Adaptation Benefits .......................................................... 121 GL2. Exceptional Community Benefits ............................................................. 123 GL3. Exceptional Biodiversity Benefits ............................................................. 125 References ........................................................................................................ 127 5 List of figures Figure 1. COFAV REDD Project Location .................................................................................... 12 Figure 2. Annual rainfall and temperature in the COFAV region ............................................... 14 Figure 3. Simplified representation of the division of the protected area into the project area and leakage management areas. The outer boundary of the project zone is defined by the outer boundary of the leakage management area. .............................. 16 Figure 4. Limits of Project Area and Project Zone ....................................................................... 17 Figure 5. Map of sustainable use zones in COFAV ...................................................................... 53 Figure 6. COFAV co-management governance structure ............................................................63 Figure 7. The ten management sectors of COFAV ....................................................................... 67 Figure 8. Simplified