Community forestry as potential clean development mechanism in India

• Main Author: Murthy, I.K. (Indian Inst. of Science Malleswaram, Bangalore 560 012 (India). Centre for Ecological Sciences) Ravindranath, N.H
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: College, Laguna (Philippines) 2003
• Subjects: BIOMASA; BIOMASS; BIOMASSE; BOSQUE COMUNAL; CARBON; CARBONE; CARBONO; CIENCIAS FORESTALES; COMMUNAL FORESTS; DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS; ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; FACTEUR DU MILIEU; FACTORES AMBIENTALES; FORESTERIE; FORESTRY; FORÊT COLLECTIVE; GESTION DES RESSOURCES; IMPACT SUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT; IMPACTO AMBIENTAL; INDE; INDIA; LAND USE; ORDENACIÓN DE RECURSOS; PROJET DE DÉVELOPPEMENT; PROYECTOS DE DESARROLLO; RECONSTITUTION FORESTIÈRE; REFORESTACIÓN; REFORESTATION; RESOURCE MANAGEMENT; UTILISATION DES TERRES; UTILIZACIÓN DE LA TIERRA

India has vast extent of degraded or wastelands, which are unlikely to be afforested under the current afforestation programmes. Based on the guidelines of the Forest Policy 1988, India formulated a forest management program involving local communities in forest protection, management and regeneration to revegetate degraded forest lands. This paper explores the potential of such community forestry projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. The rationale and criteria for eligibility of community forestry projects as CDM activities and the institutional capacity available for periodic measurement, monitoring and verification of baseline and CDM project scenario carbon stocks and flows, socio-economic parameters, among others are discussed in this paper. What makes community forestry projects under CDM attractive to the investing country and the local communities or stakeholders is that the local community institutions can directly received funds for providing global benefits. Further, it has immense co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation, enhanced participation of all stakeholders, watershed protection and ultimately sustainable development, which is also the ultimate goal of the Climate Convention. The paper concludes that community forestry projects could potentially qualify largely as reforestation projects. This requires capacity development, empowerment and institutional development at the local community level. All reforestation projects under CDM should incorporate activities to meet the local biomass needs at project planning stage to ensure permanence of carbon mitigation benefits and to minimize or avoid carbon leakage. A well-implemented community forestry project would further have "demonstration" or "multiplier effect" on neighboring village communities and forests leading to higher carbon mitigation benefits, beyond the project boundary and project estimates. India should therefore work towards creation of an enabling environment and endogenous capacity, apart from development of a "positive list" of regions, technologies, and scale for forestry projects, for fast clearance of projects at the national level