E5.1.2. Enhancing REDD+ social and environmental benefits and reducing risks

NRAP assessment of PaMs^[1]

Benefits

Risks

Measures

· Conservation of biodiversity may be improved through maintaining natural forests or restoring forest ecosystems, and through maintained or improved connectivity of forest habitats;

· There may be improved or maintained supply of forest goods and ecosystem services (natural capital);

· Resilience and adaptation to climate change and its associated effects may be increased;

· Ongoing loss of natural forests, high carbon value forests or forests that perform other important ecosystem services may occur;

· Investments, incentives and potential higher markets prices in agriculture could make crop production more effective or attractive, and contribute to deforestation over the long term or at scale;

· Forest land allocation and collaborative forest management approaches could lead to adverse effects on forest protection and legitimise unsustainable use of forests and forest lands;

· Non-timber forest product business models could result in over-exploitation and/or degradation and/or deforestation (e.g. spread of bamboo across other types of natural forest);

· There are risks of fire and pest/disease outbreaks in plantations;

· Lack of maintenance or abandonment of coastal forests plantations on lands that are classified as protection or special-use forest;

· Inundation in Melaleuca forests may lead to detrimental impacts on biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions;

· Green credits mechanisms could be used to support non-sustainable investments, with negative impacts on forests and/or greenhouse gas emissions;

· Risks of soil, water and biodiversity degradation associated with the use of agro-chemicals to improve yields.

· Conservation and protection of natural forests should be prioritised in land use planning processes, applying strategic environmental assessment in land use and sectoral planning, and ensuring that decision-support tools for REDD+ incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem service values;

· Green financial mechanisms should include clear environmental safeguards such as criteria and procedures for screening proposed investments, conducting due diligence checks and monitoring;

· To reduce forest conversion to agriculture, a monitoring and traceability system should be developed, complemented by strengthening the monitoring and enforcement of land use plans in priority hotspots of commodity-driven deforestation;

· Inventories should be conducted on the baseline status of forests to be allocated, as well as studies to understand tenure arrangements, poverty, forest dependency/use and vulnerability. Participatory mapping and consultations on forest land allocation and co-management options should be carried out, including where possible promoting allocation to community groups;

· Access to credit and other livelihood support should be improved, such as on/off farm livelihood improvements allowing households to invest more resources in natural forest protection and restoration;

· Sustainable models identified for agriculture and aquaculture should integrate practices that minimise the use of agro-chemicals and water;

· Non-timber forest product business models and associated practices should promote natural forest protection and enhancement; screening procedures should be developed in order to eliminate inappropriate investments;

· Practical guidelines for afforestation/reforestation and plantation management at site-level should be developed, including site/species selection, plantation design, pest control, fire prevention, etc.;

· Sustainable forest management practices and certification for plantations should be promoted through access improvement to advisory services;

· Detailed studies and consideration of impacts on biodiversity and the wider ecosystem from interventions which affect water levels as well as impacts resulting from construction activities should be conducted and included in Melaleuca sites management plans.

FCPF Emissions Reduction Program (ERP) SESA^[2]

Benefits

Risks

Measures

· Institutional capacity building activities should lead to improved forest governance, contributing to protection of biodiversity and improved landscape management.

List of non-carbon benefits identified:

· Socio-economic

· Maintaining Sustainable Livelihoods, Culture and Community

· Valuing Forest Resources

· Income Generation and Employment

· Environmental

· Promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture

· Conservation and Protection of Biodiversity

· Protection and Maintenance of Ecosystems Services

· Governance

· Strengthening of Village Level Socially Inclusive Governance

· Forest Governance and Management

· Improved Land Tenure Regime

· Participatory Land Use Planning

· Natural regeneration and enrichment planting may lead to impacts such as initial minor habitat damage and erosion, and over-exploitation of non-timber forest products, while leading to longer-term benefits due to habitat improvement for biodiversity.

· Afforestation/reforestation with acacia and mixed species and offsetting of infrastructure and other development could lead to possible loss of remnant natural forest to plantations.

· Environmental impacts could occur if activities chosen by communities and forest management entities are not supportive of forest or biodiversity conservation.

· Land use planning and design of program field activities: Plantation establishment will follow sustainable forest management practices and should not replace natural forests, including through mapping of remaining forest areas, awareness, linking plantation development to certification, and tying benefit sharing to the protection of natural forests.

· Codes of practice for plantation development: The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) identifies the need for clear guidelines to support the development of plantations.

· Independent monitoring: The ER Program will support a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system which will include processes for qualitative and quantitative, bottom-up data collection from the commune for forest cover monitoring and reporting.