Japan International Cooperation Agency Vietnam Administration of Forestry Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam Annex I of the Final Report of the Study on Potential Forests and Land Related to “Climate Change and Forests” in The Socialist Republic of Vietnam Basic Plan for REDD+ Development in Dien Bien Province March 2012 Japan Overseas Forestry Consultants Association Japan Forest Technology Association Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Objectives of the Basic Plan for REDD+ Development in Dien Bien Province.......................................................... 1 2. Natural and Socio-economic Conditions of Dien Bien Province................................................................................... 1 2.1 Status of the Forestry Land and Forest Resources .................................................................................................... 1 2.1.1 Land Use Types and Composition of the Forestry Land.................................................................................. 2 2.1.2 Present Conditions of the Forestry Land............................................................................................................ 3 2.1.3 Change of Forest Resources since 1990............................................................................................................. 4 Estimation of the Unit CO2 stock for Each Forest Type ........................................................................................... 6 2.1.4 Driving Force of Deforestation and Forest Degradation .................................................................................. 8 2.1.5 Other Related Factors......................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Socio-economic Conditions ...................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Demography........................................................................................................................................................ 11 2.2.2 Status of Income ................................................................................................................................................. 16 2.2.3 Farming system................................................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.4 Paddy Field Area per Capita.............................................................................................................................. 20 2.2.5 Forestry Activities by Locals and the Private Sector ...................................................................................... 22 2.2.6 Land Allocation .................................................................................................................................................. 24 3 Conditions for REDD+ Implementation.......................................................................................................................... 25 3.1 Social Acceptability for REDD+ Implementation.................................................................................................. 26 3.2 Economic Feasibility for REDD+ Implementation................................................................................................ 27 4 Forestry Policy/Program and Institutional Framework in Dien Bien Province ........................................................... 29 4.1 Review of Program 661: The Five Million Hectare Reforestation Program (5MHRP)..................................... 29 4.2 Forest Protection and Development Plan (FPDP) for 2009 – 2020...................................................................... 31 4.3 Resolution 30A: The Poverty Alleviation Program and Plantation Achievement .............................................. 33 4.4 Institutional Framework of the Forest Sector .......................................................................................................... 34 5. Draft Potential REDD+ Activities in Dien Bien Province ............................................................................................ 35 5.1 Activity A: Forest protection in areas with large carbon stock and higher deforestation/forest degradation rates..................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 5.2 Activity B: Protection of re-growth forest developed by the 661 Program.......................................................... 38 5.3 Activity C: Restoration of shifting cultivation areas to enhance natural regeneration......................................... 40 5.4 Activity D: Restriction of rubber plantation development in degraded forest areas............................................ 42 5.5 Activity E: Afforestation/reforestation ..................................................................................................................... 42 5.6 Activity F: Plantation with sustainable forest management................................................................................... 44 6. Prioritized Areas for Potential REDD + Activities......................................................................................................... 45 6.1 Methodology for the Selection of Prioritized Areas ............................................................................................... 45 6.2 Initial Results for Prioritized Areas for Each Potential REDD + Activity............................................................ 47 6.2.1 Activity A: Forest protection in areas with large carbon stock and higher deforestation/forest degradation rates................................................................................................................................................................................ 47 6.2.2 Activity B: Protection of re-growth forest developed by the 661 Program.................................................. 52 6.2.3 Activity C: Restoration of shifting cultivation areas to enhance natural regeneration................................. 56 6.2.4 Activity D: Restriction of rubber plantation development in degraded forest areas.................................... 60 6.2.5 Activity E: Afforestation/reforestation ............................................................................................................. 64 6.2.6 Activity F: Plantation with sustainable forest management ........................................................................... 69 6.3 Initial Conclusion of the Selection of Prioritized Areas.......................................................................................... 74 7. Classification of the Districts for the Implementation of the Potential REDD + Activity ......................................... 75 8. Legal intervention in REDD+ Activity ........................................................................................................................... 77 i 9. Proposal of Option for Setting Interim REL/RL in Dien Bien Province..................................................................... 82 9.1 Proposal for REL/RL Method that Considers 661 Afforestation and Forest Restoration Programs in terms of the National Circumstance............................................................................................................................................... 83 9.2 Proposal for REL/RL Method that Considers 661 Afforestation and Forest Restoration Programs in terms of the National Circumstance............................................................................................................................................... 85 9.3 A Comparison of the Two Proposals ....................................................................................................................... 86 10. Implementation Arrangements ...................................................................................................................................... 87 10.1 Proposal of Methodology of MRV ........................................................................................................................ 87 10.1.1 Defining MRV.................................................................................................................................................. 88 10.1.2 International Cooperation to Develop MRV in Vietnam............................................................................. 89 10.1.3 Proposed Options for the MRV Monitoring System in Dien Bien............................................................. 90 10.2 Options for a BDS Methodology............................................................................................................................ 97 10.2.1 Result-based Payments, related to the Timing of Payments........................................................................ 97 10.2.2 Estimation of Monetary Payment Amounts.................................................................................................. 99 10.3 Proposal of a Methodology for a Forest Monitoring System for BDS.............................................................100