International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu, Nepal

Experiences from

REDD+ Himalaya 9 Nov 2017

India Pavilion, COP 23

Bhaskar Singh Karky (PhD) Resource Economist Regional REDD+ Initiative Coordinator

Potential m tCO2 per year

ARR = afforestation, reforestation, revegetation; Rangeland = rangeland management; ALM = agricultural land management; IFM = improved forest management; AUD = avoided unplanned deforestation; AFD = avoided forest degradation

Potential m tCO2 per ha per year

ARR = afforestation, reforestation, revegetation; Rangeland = rangeland management; ALM = agricultural land management; IFM = improved forest management; AUD = avoided unplanned deforestation; AFD = avoided forest degradation

Uniqueness of *HKH region

• Heavy dependency on fuelwood (>70%)

• Important habitat for species of global

significance

• Spatially scattered forest (high

transaction cost)

• Low carbon value relative to tropical

forest

• Watershed protection

–

Is there Economic Rationale

behind REDD+?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

CMF CMF w/ grazing landCMF w/ mixed agricultureCMF w/ built environment

NPV (millions, NRS)

Farmers' preference (%)

Eco o ic ratio ale a d far ers’ prefere ce

Source: Karky, et al 2013

Vision for REDD Initiative under

ICIMOD’s Trans-boundary Landscape

Outcome: Improved cooperation among Regional Member

Countries (RMCs) for sustainable and inclusive ecosystem

management in identified landscapes for enhanced and

equitable livelihood benefits contributing to global

conservation agendas

Vision for REDD: Regional cooperation for reduced GHG

emissions from landscapes through the implementation of

REDD+ based on common methodologies and safeguards.

REDD+ Himalaya overarching goals at

regional level

• To improve the conditions for implementing

REDD measures to mitigate climate change that

are socially and environmentally sound in four

Himalayan countries.

• Building a regional REDD learning platform to

foster south-south learning.

Implementing partners for

REDD+ Initiative

• Bhutan: Department of Forests and Park Services/

Ministry of Agriculture and Forests

• India: Indian Council of Forestry Research and

Education/Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate

Change

• Myanmar: Forest Department/Ministry of Environmental

Conservation and Forestry

• Nepal: REDD Implementation Centre/Ministry of forests

and Soil Conservation

Summary of Progress

• Partner in India (ICFRE) and Nepal (RIC/MoFSC) have drafted National REDD Strategy.

• Full ownership of the REDD+ programme and activities by the four Regional Member Countries

– all data, knowledge, infrastructure developed and supported by this programme are integrated

into the national REDD readiness phase

• REDD+ safeguard frameworks being developed through collaboration with

partners

– Biodiversity Monitoring Protocol

– Gender Mainstreaming in REDD+

– Prepared Submission to UNFCCC on Safeguard from the HKH region; Progress made on MRV in

the region

– Developed methodology for assessment of governance quality for CBFM for REDD+ (Bhutan,

India, Nepal and Myanmar)

• Good collaboration with UN-REDD programme since 2014

• Developing State REDD Action Plan

Nepal • Project implementation is fully operational.

• Institutional Structures as per the operational plans are in place – REDD Desk established and operational

– District REDD Working Groups established and functional under District Forest Office.

• REDD frameworks being developed: – Community Based Monitoring Measuring and Reporting guideline;

– Biodiversity Monitoring Protocol to be endorsed by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and RIC.

• Developed Local REDD Action Plan (LRAP) for Chitwan district. – Methodology replicated for ERPD preparation in TAL (12 districts); request from Mizoram and Uttarkhand for

developing State REDD Action Plan.

• Submitted Forest Reference Level for Nepal to UNFCCC. First in HKH and serves as a

model.

• Cooperative implementing REDD activities through their business plan (agroforestry

models).

• Estimated the cost of avoiding deforestation & degradation (being replicated for Mizoram in

2017 and to Myanmar in 2018).

• Red Panda Habitat restoration work in Kanchenjunga Landscape implemented

Bhutan • Concluded National Forest Inventory, including the measurement, and verification

of overall national carbon stock. – The Royal Government of Bhutan has been able to leverage this work with the investment from

REDD Initiative as well as from other donors in a coordinated manner.

• ICIMOD has supported in building information infrastructure which is one of the

major components under the R-PP of overall REDD programme of Bhutan.

• Supported Social Forestry and Extension Division in designing a community

based forest carbon monitoring system

• South-South learning: Have been using this platform for sharing emerging

practices and gaining knowledge on relevant topics.

India • India: ICFRE Dehradun, its Advance Centre for Research in Bamboos and

Rattan (ARCBR) Aizawl in collaboration with State Department of Forest

Mizoram

– A demonstration site has been selected with State Department of Forest in

Mizoram for demonstrating REDD interventions with local communities.

– Allometric equations for bamboos being developed

• ICFRE has contributed to the draft of National REDD+ Strategy with the Ministry

of Environment, Forest and Climate Change2016 plan and budget revised

• Economic analysis of REDD being analyzed in Mizoram

• Planning on developing State REDD Action Plan for Uttarkhand and Mizoram.

Myanmar

• Scoping studies on REDD initiated

• Demonstration sites selected (Taungyi District)

• Strengthening Community Based Forestry Management

(CBFM)

• Value Chain Analysis Initiated

• Forest cover change analysis initiated

South-South learning platform

• South-South learning regional workshop – Melanesian delegates in Nepal to learn community and scientific forest management

– HKH and Asia Pacific sharing progress on FRL - April 2017

– MRV Trainings - 2016/2017/2018

– Safeguards for HKH - July 2016 and Nov 2015

• REDD+ Himalaya joint regional Review and Planning Meeting

conducted in Oct 2017

• Developed methodology for assessment of governance quality for

CBFM for REDD+ (Bhutan, India, Nepal and Myanmar)

• Supporting countries to participate in the UNFCCC processes and

share requirements.

Challenges

• REDD+ commitments from GNU but more favourable towards the

tropical regions, and mountain forests of HKH get less attention.

• Limited capacity on REDD+ understanding at the sub-national

level.

– ICIMOD is developing tailor-made capacity development packages for the

countries with a focus on sub-national level (e.g. LRAP).

• Within the HKH, RMCs follow different approaches on REDD – South-South learning platform contributes to a regional perspective and

approaches.

• UNFCCC, WB/FCPF, Bilateral donors, GCF have differing requirements.

Way forward • From Readiness to Demonstration Phase

• Assist countries to develop plans to access result-based payment

• Building common interpretation with safeguards

• Work to increase co-benefits and dovetail with SDG 2030 and CBD

The 3 phases of REDD require long

term support

Readiness Implementation Results

National Strategy or Action Plan (I, N)

National forest monitoring system

(B)

Safeguard Information

System (B,I,M,N)

Forest Reference Emission Level(s)

(N)

Operational investments

Finance

Capacity

tCO2e (UNFCCC)

Possible payments

Outlook for REDD+ finance

• Source: Donna Lee; Pokhara 11 April 2017

ICAO (7.8 billion tons to

2040)

?

GCF ($500M)

Bilateral Funding

(~$1 B/year)

FCPF ($755M)

BioCF ($300M)

Voluntary carbon market

Others (California,

Japan, Art 6, etc.)

?

Publications/knowledge products www.icimod.org/reddplus

Karki, S., Pforte, B., Karky, B.S., Statz, J., Dangi, R.B., Khanal, D.R. Chand, N.B., Poudel, M., Maraseni, T., Cadman, T., Lopez, F., Delma, S., Wangchuk, S., Norbu, L., Naing Oo, T., Rawat, V. R. S., Singh, T. P., Sharma, J. V., and Windhorst, K. (2017) The development of REDD+ safeguards in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: Recent experiences and processes. ICIMOD Working Paper 2017/13. Kathmandu:

ICIMOD Rai, R.K, Nepal, M., Karky, B.S, Somanathan, S., Timalsina, N., Khadayat, M.S and Bhattarai, N. (2017). Costs and Benefits of Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Nepal. ICIMOD Working Paper 2017/5. Bhattarai, N., Joshi, L., Karky, B.S., Windhorst, K., Ning, W. (2016) Potential synergies for agroforestry and REDD+ in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/11. Kathmandu: ICIMOD Aryal, K; Karky, BS; Joshi, SR; Shrestha, AJ (2016) Building timber value chains for REDD+ in Nepal. ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/9 Kathmandu, ICIMOD Karki, S; Joshi, NR; Udas, E; Adhikari, MD; Sherpa, S; Kotru, R; Karky, BS; Chettri, N; Ning, W (2016) Assessment of forest carbon stock and carbon sequestration rates at the ICIMOD knowledge park in Godavari, Nepal. ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/6. Kathmandu: ICIMOD Junttila, V.; Gautam, B.; Karky, B.; Maguya, A.; Tegel, K.; Kauranne, T.; Gunia, K.; Hamalainen, J.; Latva-Kayra, P.; Nikolaeva, E.; Peuhkurinen, J. (2015) Robustness of Model-Based High-Resolution Prediction of Forest Biomass against Different Field Plot Designs. Carbon Balance Management (2015) 10:29 Gilani, H; Murthy, M. S. R.; Bajracharya, B.; Karky, B. S.; Koju, U. A.; Joshi, G.; Karki, S.; Sohail, M. Assessment of change in forest cover and biomass using geospatial techniques to support REDD+ activities in Nepal (2015) Bishnu Prasad Sharma, Subhrendu Pattanayak, Mani Nepal, Priya Shyamsundar, and Bhaskar S. Karky (2015) REDD+ Impacts: Evidence from Nepal. SANDEE Working Papers, ISSN 1893-1891; WP 95–15. Bishnu Prasad Sharma, Priya Shyamsundar, Mani Nepal, Subhrendu Pattanayak and Bhaskar S. Karky (2015) Are Community Forestry Institutions Appropriate for Implementing REDD+? Lessons from Nepal. SANDEE Working Papers, ISSN 1893-1891; WP 94–15. MSR Murthy, R Kotru, B Karky, H Gilani, and K Uddin (2015) Multi-Scale Forest Biomass Assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region: Scope and Challenges of Geospatial Applications in: Murthy, MSR; Wesselman, S; Gilani, H (eds.) (2015) Multi-scale forest biomass assessment and monitoring in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region: A geospatial

perspective. Kathmandu: ICIMOD

Thank you