MANAGING INDIA’S FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: EMERGING CONCEPTS AND THEIR OPERATIONALIZATION MANAGING FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: EMERGING CONCEPTS AND THEIR OPERATIONALIZATION OCTOBER 2017 This report was prepared by: Tetra Tech 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA Telephone: (802) 658-3890 Fax: (802) 495-0282 Email: [email protected] Tetra Tech Contact(s): Ben Caldwell, Chief of Party 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 P.O. Box 1397 Burlington, VT 05402 Tel: (802) 495-0282 Email: [email protected] DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... iii Units ............................................................................................................................ xiii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: REDD+ and Other Key Emerging Concepts in Forestry: Relevance for India .............. 3 SECTION 1: RESOURCE AND POLICY CONTEXT .................................................. 21 Chapter 2: Climate Change and India’s Forests ....................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3: Trees Outside Forests: Status and Potential .......................................................................... 43 Chapter 4: Forests in India’s North East ..................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 5: India’s Position on REDD+ ........................................................................................................ 81 SECTION II: SUSTAINABLE FOREST ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT ................... 97 Chapter 6: Ecosystem Approach and Working Plans ............................................................................... 99 Chapter 7: REDD+ and Biodiversity Conservation: Safeguards and a Scope for Synergy............... 119 Chapter 8: Managing Forests for Non-Timber Forest Products ........................................................... 133 SECTION III: ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE .................................................................. 155 Chapter 9: Valuing Forest Ecosystem Services .......................................................................................... 157 Chapter 10: Clean Development Mechanism: The Indian Forestry Experience ............................... 183 SECTION IV: COMMUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONS ................................................ 217 Chapter 11: Panchayati Raj Institutions and Forestry .............................................................................. 219 Chapter 12 : Benefit Sharing Mechanisms under REDD+: Learning from the Joint Forest Management Program .............................................................................................................. 233 SECTION V: MONITORING AND SAFEGUARDS ...................................................... 255 Chapter 13: MRV issues in REDD+ in the Indian Context ..................................................................... 257 Emerging concepts and their operationalization i Chapter 14: Integrating Environmental and Social Safeguards in REDD+ .......................................... 273 SECTION VI: OPERATIONALIZATION AND MAINSTREAMING ....................... 293 Chapter 15: Landscape Approach: Opportunities and Challenges ........................................................ 295 Chapter 16: Designing REDD+ Projects ..................................................................................................... 305 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 313 Chapter 17: The Way Forward: A Pragmatic Strategy for Indian Forestry .......................................... 315 ENDNOTES ...................................................................................................................... 338 ii MANAGING FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE ABBREVIATIONS A&R, A/R Afforestation and Reforestation ABS Access to Benefit Sharing ACU Adult Cattle Unit ADC Autonomous District Council AFOLU Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use ANSAB Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bio-resources AWG-LCA Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention BEE Bureau of Energy Efficiency BCF Bio Carbon Fund BDA Biological Diversity Act BMC Biodiversity Management Committee BNDES Brazilian National Development Bank CAMPA Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority CaT Cap and Trade CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCBA Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance CCBS Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard CDM Clean Development Mechanism CEBPOL Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law CER Certified Emission Reductions CFR Community Forest Resource CFM Community Forest Management CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research CO Community Organization Emerging concepts and their operationalization iii CO2 Carbon dioxide COP Conference of Parties CPR Common Pool Resources DFO Divisional Forest Officer DNA Designated National Authority DOE Designated Operational Entities EA Ecosystem Approach EAFM Ecosystem Approach to Forest Management EDC Eco-development Committee EI Emission Intensity EIA Environment Impact Assessment ELDF Enviro-Legal Defence Firm ERU Emission Reduction Unit ESMF Environmental and Social Management Framework EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FC Finance Commission FCA Forest Conservation Act FCPF Forest Carbon Partnership Facility FD Forest Department FDA Forest Development Agency FGD Focus Group Discussion FGLG Forest Governance Learning Group FIP Forest Investment Program FPIC Free, Prior and Informed Consent FRA Forest Rights Act FRC Forest Rights Committee FREL Forest Reference Emission Level FRL Forest Reference Level FSI Forest Survey of India GCF Green Climate Fund viii MANAGING FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environment Facility GHG Greenhouse Gas GIM Green India Mission GIS Geographic Information System GOI Government of India GP Gram Panchayat GPS Global Positioning System GSDP Gross State Domestic Product HRG Himalayan Research Group IAS Indian Administrative Service IBIS Integrated Biosphere Simulator ICFRE Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development IFA Indian Forest Act IIFM Indian Institute of Forest Management IIRS Indian Institute of Remote Sensing IISc Indian Institute of Science INCCA Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment INDC Intended Nationally Determined Contributions IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IRR Internal Rate of Return ITD-HST Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology ISFR India State of Forest Report IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature JFM Joint Forest Management JFMC Joint Forest Management Committee KII Key Informant Interview LULC Land Use/Land Cover LULUCF Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry MARD Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam Emerging concepts and their operationalization ix MDF Moderately Dense Forest MEA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment MFP Minor Forest Produce MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MNREGS Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoEF Ministry of Environment and Forests MoEFCC Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change MoPR Ministry of Panchayati Raj MoRD Ministry of Rural Development MoTA Ministry of Tribal Affairs MoU Memorandum of Understanding MoWD Ministry of Wasteland Development MRV Measuring, Reporting and Verification NAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action NAP National Afforestation Programme NAPCC National Action Plan on Climate Change NBA National Biodiversity Authority NCB Non-Carbon Benefits NDA National Designated Authority NDC Nationally Determined Contributions NFI National Forest Inventory NFMA National Forest Monitoring and Assessment Programme NFMS National Forest Monitoring System NFP National Forest Policy NFRL National Forest Reference Level NGO Non-government Organization NMPB National Medicinal Plants Board NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation NPP Net Primary Productivity NPV Net Present Value x MANAGING FORESTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE NRLM National Rural Livelihood Mission NRM Natural Resource Management NRPS National REDD Plus Strategy NSSO National Sample Survey Organization NTFP Non-Timber Forest Product NWFP Non-Wood Forest Product OF Open Forest PAT Perform, Achieve and Trade PDD Project Design Document PES Payment for Ecosystem Services PESA Panchayats (Extension To The Scheduled Areas) Act PIS Pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources PPP Purchasing Power Parity PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PRI Panchayati Raj Institution R&D Research and Development RBP Results-based Payment REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and the Role of Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests, and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks in Developing Countries RFP Requests for Proposal SAPCC State Action