Project Design Document Lowering Emissions, Enhancing Forests (LEEF) in Nagaon, Assam . Lowering Emissions, Enhancing Forests (LEEF) in Nagaon, Assam Project Design Document Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation & IORA Ecological Solutions 2 Project Design Document | LEEF – Nagaon (Assam) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 11 1.1 BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................ 11 1.2 OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................ 18 1.3 EXECUTIVE ENTITY ................................................................................................................................ 18 1.4 START DATE ......................................................................................................................................... 18 1.5 PROJECT LIFETIME ................................................................................................................................ 18 1.6 BASELINE REASSESSMENT ..................................................................................................................... 18 1.7 PROJECT CLIMATE, COMMUNITY AND BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS .................................................................. 18 1.8 MANAGEMENT OF RISKS BEYOND PROJECT LIFETIME .............................................................................. 23 2 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT ....................................................................................................................... 24 2.1 GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE ......................................................................................................................... 24 2.2 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF NAGAON .......................................................................................................... 24 2.3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF NAGAON ................................................................................................. 29 2.4 FOREST DEPENDENCY ........................................................................................................................... 36 2.5 PROJECT CHRONOLOGY/MILESTONES..................................................................................................... 37 3 PROJECT BOUNDARY ............................................................................................................................. 38 3.1 CARBON POOLS .................................................................................................................................... 38 3.2 BASELINE SOURCES AND PROJECT SOURCES OF GHG ........................................................................... 38 4 DEVELOPMENT OF FOREST REFERENCE EMISSION LEVEL ............................................................ 40 4.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 40 4.2 LAND USE LAND COVER (LULC) CHANGES OVER THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE PERIOD .......................... 40 4.3 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 40 4.4 ANCILLARY DATA ................................................................................................................................... 45 4.5 PRE-PROCESSING OF REMOTE SENSING DATA ......................................................................................... 45 4.6 ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ........................................................................................................................ 46 5 DRIVERS OF FOREST CHANGE ............................................................................................................. 53 5.1 CLASSIFICATION OF STAKEHOLDERS ...................................................................................................... 53 5.2 DRIVERS OF FOREST CHANGE................................................................................................................ 54 6 DRIVER INTERVENTION MATRIX ........................................................................................................... 73 6.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 73 6.2 SELECTION OF TARGET VILLAGES .......................................................................................................... 74 6.3 INTERVENTION PLAN .............................................................................................................................. 75 6.4 CONVERGENCE ..................................................................................................................................... 98 7 QUANTIFICATION OF EMISSION REDUCTION ..................................................................................... 99 3 Project Design Document | LEEF – Nagaon (Assam) 7.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 99 7.2 HISTORICAL REFERENCE PERIODS ......................................................................................................... 99 7.3 ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT .................................................................................................................. 99 7.4 EMISSION FACTORS ............................................................................................................................. 100 7.5 BASELINE SCENARIO ........................................................................................................................... 101 7.6 EMISSION REDUCTIONS AND SEQUESTRATION FROM IDENTIFIED INTERVENTIONS ................................... 102 7.7 NET EMISSION REDUCTIONS ................................................................................................................ 103 7.8 LEAKAGE............................................................................................................................................. 104 8 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ............................................................................................................ 106 8.1 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................................................. 106 8.2 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ................................................................................................................ 110 9 MONITORING PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 112 9.1 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................................................. 112 9.2 MONITORING PLAN .............................................................................................................................. 112 9.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC) ....................................................................... 114 9.4 PARAMETERS (FIXED) .......................................................................................................................... 114 10 LEEF SAFEGUARD INFORMATION SYSTEM AND BENEFIT SHARING MECHANISM ................ 148 10.1 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 149 10.2 DEVELOPING SIS ............................................................................................................................. 151 10.3 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................................... 154 10.4 CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR SAFEGUARDS .................................................................... 155 10.5 MONITORING SAFEGUARDS ..................................................................................................... 156 10.6 BENEFIT SHARING SYSTEM .............................................................................................................. 165 10.7 BENEFIT DISTRIBUTION AT VILLAGE LEVEL .......................................................................................... 168 10.8 INTEGRATING SAFEGUARDS IN BENEFIT SHARING MECHANISMS ......................................................... 169 10.9 GRIEVANCE MECHANISM .................................................................................................................. 170 ANNEXURE I: DETAILS OF PLANTATIONS PLANNED .............................................................................. 171 ANNEXURE II: NOTIFICATION OF FORMATION OF DISTRICT REDD+ COMMITTEE ............................. 180 ANNEXURE III: NOTIFICATION OF FORMATION OF REDD+ TASK FORCE ............................................ 184 ANNEXURE IV: NOTIFICATION OF FORMATION OF STATE LEVEL REDD+ CELL ................................ 185 ANNEXURE V: ATTENDANCE OF REDD+ MEETING AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY, GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM ........................................................................................................................... 186 ANNEXURE VI: PROCEEDINGS FROM THE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING,