SUB-NATIONAL JURISDICTIONAL REDD+ PROGRAM FOR SIKKIM, INDIA Prepared by Sikkim Forest, Environment & Wildlife Management Department Supported by the USAID-funded Partnership for Land Use Science (Forest-PLUS) Program June 2017 Version 1.2 Sub-National Jurisdictional REDD+ Program for Sikkim, India 4.1 Table of Contents List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 9 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 12 1.1 Background and overview..................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Objective ..................................................................................................................................... 17 1.3 Project Executing Entity .............................................................................................................. 18 2. Scope of the Program ................................................................................................................... 20 2.1 Geographical Scope .................................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Temporal Scope .......................................................................................................................... 20 2.3 Implementation .......................................................................................................................... 20 2.4 Carbon Pools ............................................................................................................................... 21 2.5 Stakeholder Mapping ................................................................................................................. 21 2.6 Baseline Sources and Project Sources of GHG............................................................................ 21 3. Project Area Details ...................................................................................................................... 23 4. Forest Reference Emissions Levels ............................................................................................... 36 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2 LULC Changes over the Historical Reference Period .................................................................. 36 4.3 Thematic Maps ........................................................................................................................... 42 5. Drivers of Forest Change .............................................................................................................. 57 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 57 5.2 Agents and Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation .................................................... 57 5.3 Pre-project Scenario ................................................................................................................... 58 5.4 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 58 5.5 Social Survey, Discussions and Consultations ............................................................................. 60 5.6 Mapping Active Drivers .............................................................................................................. 65 5.7 Validation of Results ................................................................................................................... 77 6. Driver-Intervention Matrix ........................................................................................................... 79 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 79 6.2 Interventions to Decrease Emissions from Forests .................................................................... 79 Other Supporting Activities ............................................................................................................ 113 a) Construction of Community Halls, fodder storage rooms ...................................................... 113 b) Promotion of Organic Certifications for Crops ................................................................... 113 c) Promotion of Solar Cooking in the State ................................................................................ 114 6.3 Convergence and Resource Mobilization ................................................................................. 115 7. Quantification of Emission Reductions ...................................................................................... 118 2 of 205 Sub-National Jurisdictional REDD+ Program for Sikkim, India 7.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 118 7.2 Historical Reference Periods ..................................................................................................... 118 7.3 Baseline and Project Scenario .................................................................................................. 122 7.4 Emission Reductions and Sequestration from Identified Interventions................................... 122 7.5 Project Emissions ...................................................................................................................... 122 7.6 Net Emissions Reductions ......................................................................................................... 124 7.7 Leakage ..................................................................................................................................... 125 8. Implementation Strategy and Monitoring Plan ......................................................................... 126 8.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 126 8.2 REDD+ Institutional arrangement ............................................................................................. 126 8.3 Implementation strategy .......................................................................................................... 127 9. REDD+ Safeguards and Benefit Sharing Mechanism .................................................................. 163 9.1 National Safeguard Policy ......................................................................................................... 163 9.2 Compliance with Laws .............................................................................................................. 163 9.3 Safeguards Monitoring System ................................................................................................. 166 9.4 Benefit Sharing Mechanism ...................................................................................................... 170 10. Other Project Details ............................................................................................................... 173 10.1 Start Date and Crediting Period .............................................................................................. 173 10.2 Details of Project Design ......................................................................................................... 173 10.3 Activities and Consultations in the Program .......................................................................... 173 Annexure 1: Accuracy Assessment of LULC Classification .................................................................. 184 Annexure 2: Thematic Maps of Sikkim ............................................................................................... 187 Annexure 3: Project Chronology/milestones ...................................................................................... 196 Annexure 4: Large Unavoidable Infrastructure Projects in Sikkim ..................................................... 198 Annexure 5: Pictures ........................................................................................................................... 201 List of Figures Figure 1: Sikkim, and its tree cover ....................................................................................................... 14 Figure 2: The geographical boundary of Sikkim State and its four districts ......................................... 20 Figure 3: Four districts of Sikkim ........................................................................................................... 24 Figure 4: Social classification of the rural population across all the 4 districts in Sikkim ..................... 32 Figure 5: Livestock Holding Pattern (A) East, (B) West, (C) North, (D) South Districts35......................