Cambodia: Oddar Meanchey REDD+

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1 project focus Cambodia: Oddar Meanchey REDD+ The project is situated in Cambodia s Oddar Meanchey Province and protects 13 discrete parcels of tropical forest scattered across the central section of this remote, northwest province. The areas being protected by this REDD+ project are especially vulnerable as most sites are accessible to human populations. By reinforcing community land ownership and protection, and developing sustainable use of forest resources, the pioneering project mobilises communities to halt rapid deforestation in a region intensely affected by agricultural expansion and forest fires. Project type: Conservationbased forest management Region: Asia Standards: Grass roots: Forest protection groups have established large community forestry areas in the country to conserve remaining forest lands.

2 The project The project protects 13 tropical forest sites across Oddar Meanchey, ranging in size from 383 hectares to 17,848 hectares and cumulatively representing nearly 10% of the land area of the province and approximately 15% of its remaining evergreen forest. This forest type has a projected loss of 25% in 10 years without the project. The primary focus of the project is to reinforce land tenure for the community forestry groups while protecting against further outside threats and enhancing the sustainability of their livelihoods. Activities include the introduction of a consultative approach to land-use planning to improve sustainability and productivity across the area, creating a forest protection network that coordinates communications and activities throughout the project area, assisting with natural regeneration of degraded forest areas and implementing fire prevention techniques. This forest type has a projected loss of 25% in 10 years without the project The project areas represent some of the last ranges of these forest types in the Mekong region. Through the sale of carbon credits, the Oddar Meanchey project enhances the viability of forest protection efforts and delivers significant additional benefits beyond the greenhouse gas savings. Contribution to sustainable development The project contributes to sustainable development in several key areas: Biodiversity protection In the absence of the Oddar Meanchey project it is likely that deforestation of deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in the region will continue at the current annual rate of 1.5-2%. The project areas represent some of the last ranges of these forest types in the Mekong region. Maintaining the integrity of the forests is critical for ecosystem services such as watershed protection, soil erosion control and forest fire control. The area has a rich biodiversity with a survey by Birdlife International recording a total of 174 bird species within the project sites visited, as well as 26 mammals. This project supports habitat for wildlife categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered, threatened and vulnerable,including tiger (Panthera tigris), sun bear (Ursus malayanus) and pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus). The project will also directly help IUCN endangered indigenous tropical hardwoods Afzelia xylocarpa, Hopea helferi, Diospyros crumenata by planting the species within the project area. Through educational programmes within the communities, monitoring and habitat restoration skills can be improved which will result in better controls over hunting, poaching and damage to critical habitat. Food security The project will also create greater awareness among local communities around the value of ecosystem services. For example, the enrichment of plant species, including cashew (Anacardium occidentale), jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), mango (Mangifera indica) and other fruit bearing species, will provide sustainable sources of food. The project is also training communities on agricultural intensification activities to help increase crop yields, such as use of organic fertilisers and vermiculture (the use of worms to improve the quality of the earth).

3 water purification and climate regulation. The project also intends to fund the construction of new ponds and de-silting of existing ponds to harvest rain water during the rainy season, combating water shortages. The project communities will receive annual grants for activities such as de-silting water containers and creating irrigation channels. Education & skills The communities will be educated in techniques to improve agricultural yields through the use of organic fertilisers, distribution of mosquito protection for livestock and vermiculture. Financial security The harvesting of cash crops such as cashew and mango will provide alternative revenue streams for communities. The development and sale of other non-timber forest products (NTFP) such as honey and resin oil can also be used to generate income. Health & well-being To help communities use forest resources more efficiently and therefore further reduce the pressures of deforestation, the project aims to distribute 8,000 fuel-efficient stoves which reduce the harmful indoor air pollution families, particularly women and children, are exposed to. Additionally, The Children s Development Association in Cambodia, who partner with the project developer, have an emergent fund budget to support women and children in the target areas during emergencies or incidences of severe illness. Job creation Central to its capacity for sustainable forest protection is the project s ability to generate employment and income for local communities. There will be around 260 patrollers to protect all 13 community sites, creating an estimated 65 full-time roles for local people. Grants for water resource development, NTFP development and agricultural productivity projects will generate employment for around 30 people. The labour is expected to provide an estimated 20 person days of employment each year per household during the agricultural off-season. Water stewardship Water security is also a major issue for local communities and the project activities aim to help manage water resources and infrastructure. By maintaining forest cover and the current ecosystem in the project area, the forest will continue to provide important environmental services including Labour is expected to provide 20 person days of employment each year per household

4 Economic growth Funds for the afforestation and reforestation activities will be directed to project communities, primarily for labour and materials. The project also plans to establish village-based cooperatives, which will seek to create linkages with markets for trading. The creation of a forest protection network coordinates communications and activities throughout the project area and will assist in expanding NTFP development through shared knowledge and skills. The project intends to distribute 8,000 fuel-efficient stoves, which will allow access to fuel-efficient technology Energy access The project intends to distribute 8,000 fuelefficient stoves, which will allow more of the population to have access to a more fuelefficient technology, thereby helping reduce fuel costs as well as decrease the time needed to collect fuel. Infrastructure development The construction of new ponds and de-silting of existing ponds to harvest rain water during the rainy season improves the regional infrastructure and also helps to safeguard water access. Empowering women The project supports and encourages women s leadership, as many women have an active role in management and planning through Community Forest Management Committees (CFMCs). Also, special attention will go to gender equality and the participation of women in capacity building and employment opportunities; women have been targeted for training in bookkeeping, marketing and handcraft production. Climate Adaptation It was demonstrated that anticipated climate changes are likely to have an impact on the well-being of communities and biodiversity in the project zone; a variety of the project s activities are helping adapt to these likely climate scenarios including assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting, nature resource prevention projects, and fire prevention. The region This project, totalling 56,000 hectares as well as the surrounding community area, is critical to a region of Cambodia that is home to 26 mammal species and many more species classified as endangered or threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). For example, the endangered tiger population is expected to become extinct in northwest Cambodia without the project and the critical habitat areas it protects.

5 The distribution of the project s Community Forests through Oddar Meanchey province. Located in the northwestern corner of Cambodia in Oddar Meanchey province. In the 1970s, during the height of the Khmer Rouge, Oddar Meanchey was one of the most remote and heavily forested regions of Cambodia. The province s forests have since come under constant and intense pressure from commercial and illegal logging, forest fires, land concessions and agricultural expansion. These issues, coupled with rapid economic growth, population expansion, migration, weak governance and erratic development planning as well as the decline of natural Since 2002, Oddar Meanchey has lost 2.5% of its forests annually as migrant farmers and concessionaires cleared land forest resources in Thailand and Vietnam, have accelerated deforestation throughout the province. More recently, since 2002, Oddar Meanchey has lost 2.5% of its forests annually as migrant farmers and concessionaires cleared land by felling and burning tree cover. The close proximity of the forest to villages, roads and tracks the average distance from any point within the forest to a village is under seven kilometres and it s less than one and half kilometres to any road or path - results in a high threat of deforestation which can already been seen through the highly fragmented nature of the remaining forest area. Oddar Meanchey is a significant project for Cambodia nationally and has received highlevel endorsement from the prime minister. It will also provide a proof of concept regarding the viability of financing community forestry management systems for a projected two million hectares of state forest lands. Location Located in the northwestern corner of Cambodia in Oddar Meanchey province. Contact us: London: Bravington House, 2 Bravington Walk, Regent Quarter, London, N1 9AF, United Kingdom T +44 (0) sales@carbonneutral.com New York: 475 Park Avenue South, 23rd Floor, New York, NY USA T salesna@carbonneutral.com