CLIMATE, COMMUNITY AND BIODIVERSITY STANDARDS METHODOLOGY THE COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT By ERA Ecosystem Restoration Associates Inc. May 2009 1 2 THE COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard Methodology for the Community Ecosystem Restoration Project INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................7 GENERAL .........................................................................................................................................9 G1. Original Conditions at the Project Site................................................................................................. 9 1) General Information......................................................................................................................... 9 i) Project Location ......................................................................................................................9 ii) Climate ...................................................................................................................................9 iii) Geology and Soils................................................................................................................10 iv) The Types and Condition of Vegetation at the Project Site.................................................10 v) Summary of Biogeoclimatic Subzone Information................................................................12 2) Current Carbon Stocks at the Project Site................................................................................... 14 3) Community Information ................................................................................................................ 15 i) Community Description.........................................................................................................15 ii) Current Land Use and Land Tenure at the Project Site (See also section G5)....................22 4) Biodiversity Information................................................................................................................ 22 i) Current Biodiversity in the Project Area and Threats to That Biodiversity..........................24 ii) IUCN Red List Threatened Species Found Within the Project Boundary (See also B1) .....29 G2. Baseline Projections.............................................................................................................................. 32 1) Description of the Most Likely Land-Use Scenario in the Absence of the Project................... 32 2) Future Carbon Stock Changes in the Absence of the Project .................................................... 33 3) Description of How the “Without-Project” Scenario Would Affect Local Communities in the Project Area.................................................................................................................................. 35 4) Description of How the “Without-Project” Land-Use Scenario Would Affect Biodiversity in the Project Area ........................................................................................................................... 35 5) Description of How the “Without-Project” Land-Use Scenario Would Affect Water and Soil Resources (See also B5) ............................................................................................................... 36 G3. Project Design and Goals ..................................................................................................................... 39 1) Scope of the Project and Summary of the Major Climate, Community and Biodiversity Goals ....................................................................................................................................................... 39 2) Major Project Activities and Their Relevance to Achieving the Project’s Goals..................... 39 i) Project Implementation .........................................................................................................39 ii) Removal of Carbon and Measurable Units ..........................................................................41 iii) Competition with Brush.......................................................................................................43 iv) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) .............................................................................43 3) Project Location.............................................................................................................................. 44 4) Project Timeframe.......................................................................................................................... 44 5) Risks to Climate, Community and Biodiversity Benefits............................................................ 44 i) Clearing of Planted Areas for Housing, Municipal or Commercial Development ...............44 ii) Underperformance of Forest Growth...................................................................................46 iii) Risk of Natural Disturbance................................................................................................46 iv) Removal of Land from Public Access or Degradation of Recreational Opportunities on Public Land ...............................................................................................................................46 v) Habitat Loss Through Conversion of Senescent Alder Stands and Blackberry Thickets .....46 6) Stakeholder Identification.............................................................................................................. 47 i) Maple Ridge Steering Committee ..........................................................................................47 ii) City of Langley Steering Committee.....................................................................................47 iii) Metro Vancouver, Township of Langley and Mission Steering Committees ......................48 3 THE COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT 7) Project Transparency..................................................................................................................... 48 G4. Management Capacity ......................................................................................................................... 51 1) Management Team’s Experience .................................................................................................. 51 i) Team leader ...........................................................................................................................51 ii) Project Methodology ............................................................................................................51 iii) Project Implementation .......................................................................................................52 iv) Ecosystem Restoration Prescription Team ..........................................................................52 v) Legal team.............................................................................................................................53 2) Management Capacity and the Scale of the Project.................................................................... 53 3) Key Technical Skills Required and Staff Possessing These Skills.............................................. 54 4) Financial Status of the Organization ............................................................................................ 54 G5. Land Tenure.......................................................................................................................................... 55 1) Private Property and Related Rights............................................................................................ 55 2) Land Tenure Problems................................................................................................................... 56 3) Potential In-migration of People ................................................................................................... 56 G6. Legal Status........................................................................................................................................... 57 1) Compliance with Laws ................................................................................................................... 57 2) Approval from the Appropriate Authorities................................................................................ 57 G7. Adaptive Management for Sustainability........................................................................................... 59 1) Management Actions, Monitoring Programs and Reliable Feedback....................................... 59 2) Plan for Documenting Decisions, Actions and Outcomes ........................................................... 60 3) Project Design Flexibility and Accommodation of Potential Changes ...................................... 61 4) Long Term Sustainability of Project Benefits.............................................................................. 62 CLIMATE ........................................................................................................................................65 CL1. Net Positive Climate Impacts ............................................................................................................ 65 1) Estimation of the Net Change in Carbon Stocks ......................................................................... 65 i) Main