PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 1 CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM FOR SMALL-SCALE AFFORESTATION AND REFORESTATION PROJECT ACTIVITIES (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) (Version 02) Version for validation under Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project Standards (1997-2013) CONTENTS A. General description of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity B. Application of a baseline and monitoring methodology C. Estimation of the net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks D. Environmental impacts of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity E. Socio-economic impacts of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity F. Stakeholders’ comments Annexes Annex 1: Contact information on participants in the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity Annex 2: Declaration on low-income communities Annex 3: Inventory of 1997-2009 reforestations with projections for 2010-2013 (CONFIDENTIAL) Annex 4: Sample contract (CONFIDENTIAL) Annex 5: Sample forms Annex 6: Additional information for CCB validation Annex 7: AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Analysis and Buffer Determination PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 2 Note This PDD for the Sierra Gorda Reforestation Project is following the CDM-SSC-AR-PDD Template and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodology AR-AMS0001 / Version 04.1. The reason behind this choice is that CDM methodologies are accepted as the highest standard of afforestation / reforestation projects. The use of the template and methodology does not mean that the project will be submitted as a CDM project. CDM methodologies are approved under the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) and also meet the requirements of the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project Standards (CCB). PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 3 SECTION A. General description of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity: A.1. Title of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> Carbon Sequestration in Communities of Extreme Poverty in the Sierra Gorda of Mexico A.2. Description of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> In 1987, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (Grupo Ecológico) began reforesting degraded lands in the Sierra Gorda Queretana in eastern-central Mexico. Between 1997 and 2001, Grupo Ecológico planted 48.6 hectares, in parcels greater than 0.5 hectares, with the intention of using the revenues from the sale of the carbon sequestered to support landholders and the organization’s environmental activities. Following restructuring of Grupo Ecológico in 2001, Bosque Sustentable A.C. has continued as the partner organization of Grupo Ecológico focusing on reforestation and the sale of carbon credits. Since the restructuring, Bosque Sustentable has planted an additional 142.9 hectares through 2009 in parcels greater than 0.5 hectares, with the expressed goal of using the revenues from the sale of the carbon sequestered to support landholders and the organization’s activities in forest management and biodiversity protection. Bosque Sustentable has a target to plant an additional 40 hectares per year from 2010 to 2013 for this project activity. The purpose of the project is to reforest areas that require restoration while providing an alternative productive activity to hundreds of landowners and landholders in conditions of severe poverty while capturing carbon at the same time. The project is primarily designed to overcome the financial barrier to landholder participation. Bosque Sustentable provides the landholders with incentives to follow the forest management plan proposed by Bosque Sustentable. A.3. Project participants: >> Please list project participants and Party(ies) involved and provide contact information in Annex 1. Information shall be indicated using the following tabular format. PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 4 Indicate if the Party Private and/or public Name of Party involved (*) involved wishes to entity(ies) project ((host) indicates a host be considered as a participants (*) Party) project participant (as applicable) (Yes/No) Bosque Sustentable A.C. Mexico No Various landowners and landholders (*) At the time of making the CDM-SSC-AR-PDD public at the stage of validation, a Party involved may or may not have provided its approval. At the time of requesting registration, the approval by the Party(ies) involved is required. A.4. Description of location and boundary of the small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> A.4.1. Location of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> Please see Annex 3 for a detailed inventory of reforestations established from 1997-2009. A.4.1.1. Host Party(ies): >>Mexico A.4.1.2. Region/State/Province etc.: >> Querétaro and San Luis Potosí A.4.1.3. City/Town/Community etc: >> Zone 1: Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve Municipalities of Pinal de Amoles, Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matamoros and Arroyo Seco in the state of Querétaro Zone 2: San Luis Potosí Municipalities of Xilitla and Aquismón in the state of San Luis Potosí A.4.2. Detail of geographical location and project boundary, including information allowing the unique identification(s) of the proposed small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> The project boundary includes 163 reforestations totaling 191.50 hectares established from 1997-2009 and is projected to increase by approximately 40 hectares each year from 2010-2013. Please see Annex 3 for a detailed inventory of existing plantings. The locations of the plantings have been mapped (see Figure 4-9). The project proponent will demonstrate that communities that enter the project after the validation of the PDD have roughly the same social, economic and environmental conditions (i.e. PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 5 in the same region, with the same social and economic indicators). These lands will not affect the additionality of the project and will have the same baseline as presented in the PDD. Figure 1: Reference map - project region PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 6 Figure 1: Reference Map for Zone 1, Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 7 Figure 3: Reference Map for Zone 2, Municipalities of Xilitla and Aquismón in San Luis Potosí PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 8 Figure 4: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Pinal de Amoles PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 9 Figure 5: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Jalpan de Serra PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 10 Figure 6: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Landa de Matamoros PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 11 Figure 7: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Arroyo Seco PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 12 Figure 8: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Xilitla PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 13 Figure 9: Locations of existing reforestations in the municipality of Aquismón A.5. Technical description of the small-scale A/R CDM project activity: A.5.1. Type(s) of small-scale A/R CDM project activity: >> ―Grassland to forested land‖ and ―cropland to forested land‖ A.5.2. A concise description of present environmental conditions of the area, which include information on climate, soils, main watershed, ecosystems, and the possible presence of rare or endangered species and their habitats: >> Zone 1: Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is an area of immense variability in elevation, climate, soils and ecosystems. PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD) - Version 02 ____________________________________________________________________________________ CDM – Executive Board Page 14 Elevation: Elevations in the region vary from 300 meters above sea level (masl) to 3,100 masl. Most of the plantings are occurring between 1,500 and 2,500 masl. Climate: Annual rainfall depends