Learning from Ethiopia, Humbo Assisted Natural

Regeneration CDMAssefa Tofu

World Vision East Africa, Addis Ababaassefa_tofu@wvi.org

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Oct 2nd, 2011Panama City

Outline1. Background 2. Process steps followed3. Opportunities revealed4. Challenges5. Considerations to replicate and scale-up

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1. Background of Humbo AR CDM Project

Before project the site was open for access. As a result:

Forest cleared: • Timber, • Firewood• Charcoal production

Over exploitation led to:• Soil erosion, flooding &

large gully formation at down stream farm land

• Farm land covered with silt loads, cobbles & boulders

Before intervention,2006

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Genesis of Humbo AR project

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• In 2005 WV Australia & WV Ethiopia initiatedthe idea

• Then consulted local community & respectivelevels concerned government offices

• In mean time, WVA contacted World Bank Bio-carbon

• In the same year Ethiopia ratified Kyoto Protocol• After contacting all the ways, WVE and WVA

started exploring the eligibility, size,methodology, etc

• WVA allocated budget to process the project asof Oct 2005 hence, WVE commenced processingthe project

Goal of the project• The overall goal

– Sequestration of carbon from biodiversity native forest and through restoring of degraded forest

– Contribute to alleviation of poverty through sale of CER, forest & non forest benefits

• Specific objectives:– Regenerate the native forest and enhance biodiversity

through Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) techniques

– Establish legal frameworks and local institutions for forest ownership and management

– Improve the hydrological system of the area– Pilot AR CDM as mechanism for win-win-win

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2. Process steps followed In 2006 feasibility study Various consultations involving

(Govt, community & project) have been taken place to:• Humbo land was ‘no man’s

land’• Land ownership is agreed to

put for Forest Protection & Development Coop (FPDC)

• Seven FPDC (legal CBO) established

• FPDC granted user right by government – using excising proclamation

• Ensure willingness of community and government

Identified negatively affected hhs & develop social mitigation action in line with safeguard

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…cont… Project boundary delineation:

• project site delineated by committee using GPS.

• As a result map produced (2,728ha)

• Stratification of project site: • the project site stratified into 4 strata

based on vegetation cover Carbon pool determination:

• World vision negotiated with the buyer on the types of pools to be considered (above & below ground)

Estimate Baseline carbon stock

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…cont

Project management

Project area officially closed from intruders in 2006

• Major technique employed: FMNR• Enhance live stumps/roots• Practice selection, thinning, pruning & coppice reduction

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR.ppt

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Documentation• Operational monitoring plan prepared• PDD developed using AR-AM0003.V4• ERPA signed with the buyer for 165,000tC02. though

through crediting period estimated to sequester morethan 800,000 tCo2

• After validation, it got registered in Dec 2009 being 1st inEthiopia & biggest AR CDM in Africa

• (http//cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/DB/JACO1245724331.7/view).

• Community climate biodiversity (CCBA) developed,validated & by the same DOE & has got Gold levelapproval (http://www.climate-standards.Org/projects/index.html).

• Pre-verification conducted in 2011, final verificationexpected in Feb, 2012

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3. Opportunities revealed

Environmental • Increased vegetation

cover• Decreased soil erosion,• Improved water

infiltration • Improved biodiversity• Improved microclimate

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..Cont

Social benefits• Formal recognition of

user right to manage &use the forest

• FMNR technique beingreplicated across thecountry & feed backcoming back to thecommunity

• Knowledge generated,published & beingshared

Partnership outcomes• It has brought innovative

partnership amongHumbo community, theEthiopian Government,World Vision Ethiopia,World Vision Australia andWorld Bank.

• This innovativepartnership approachgenerated leanings thatcan be leveraged for thedevelopment of similarprojects in the future inEthiopia and other partsof Africa.

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Economical benefits Firewood (pruning)Grass through cut & carryWild but edible fruit Apiculture Eco-tourism Carbon revenue (1st payment 34,184USD transferred in March 2011; while 2nd ER payment is about 48,000.00USD released from WB

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One of the community member statement during project evaluation

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“In my father’s time, there was a huge forest including fruit trees. We used to go to the mountain to collect fruit to eat and to sell. We also used to go and hunt wildlife and this was a benefit. When the trees were dense, downstream it was like a paradise. But it was lost during the communist regime (1974-1990). It was a crazy history. But because of the project – these things are coming back. Not one, many of them have come back & even the fruit trees are coming back. Now the forest is protected, the lost life is coming back and we are expecting things to go well. Trees planted such as Grevillia is growing well and is a good investment. We now cut grass and carry it to livestock. Temperature is decreasing and rainfall is increasing. In brief we are smelling some thing 50 years ago[Community Elder, Humbo, March 2010]”

High-level benefits• The project became learning site for

NGOs/Gov’t & research site for University students from Ethiopia & over sea.

• The experience gained is an asset to the country

Anticipated future benefits• Improved biodiversity• Enhanced downstream farm land productivity• Income from honey production• Ground water improvement • Eco-tourism• Carbon revenue from sequestered carbon• Sustainable tree harvesting as per PDD• Local micro-climate improvement• Farmer: ?

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Community priority using ER revenue

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Priority Abela Gefeta AbelaLongena

AbelaShoya

BossaWanchie

Bola Wanchie

HobichaBada

HobichaBongota

1 Grain store Grain store Flour mill

establishment

Flour mill Flour mill Grain store Grain store

2 Credit fund Credit fund Grain store

construction

Credit

fund

Grain store Petty trade(

shop)

Grain mill

3 Potable water

accessing

Health

facility

Oxen for

plowing

Grain store Kindergarten Credit fund Credit fund

4 - Potable

water

accessing

Farm tools Village

road

improvem

ent

Water supply

development

Truck Credit fund

5 - Village road

improvement

Dairy cow Truck Road

Maintenance

- Agriculture

tools

6 - - - - - - Potable

water supply

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Ethiopia DNA Officially handed over the first ER payment to community

All seven coops with their bank receipts

Challenges in relation to the project

Project transaction cost (PDD development & commence project) – thanks to WVA. Yet, there must be some financial mechanism or support of NGOs needed

Accessing capable professional (PDD development) was also problematic – but worked with WVA & WB team with external consultant

The lengthy requirement of CDM was another challenge – we persistently worked – needs keep on simplifying

Being new project for country creating consensus took time – extensive/tireless consultation. Now this problem is gone

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…Challenge cont Satellite image absence to demonstrate Project site forest

deforestation being before 1990. We used PRA, which isa bit time taking & not easy to convince DOE. So, havingbetter resolution satellite would be helpful

Community and other stakeholders overexpectation – we found keeping carbon revenue asincentive would be helpful

Low carbon prices for AR CDM, which is notrecognizing co-benefits which might discouragedinvestors

Pre-verification time experience – the verificationprotocol is not fully considering multistory naturalregeneration rather the protocol seems structuredfor developed countries plantation. Hence, stillneeds revision for regeneration & Africa context

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General challenge• Absence of transaction finance with CDM system at least

for LDCs (cost of PDD, implementing project) - for both• Many approved methodologies developed for

developed countries forest or not considered the African like forest setting

• Addionality requirements such as financial for LDCs. It is hard to prove due to data shortage

• Region wise capacity like PDD developer & DOE• At verification time DOEs wants to see Natural

Regeneration as plantation since the protocol developed for Developed country forest

• Unfair geographical distribution of the registered projects discouraged many Africa project developers

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- - - General challenge

• Considering baseline 1990 has to be revised after2012 if the market exist since most of forestdegradation happened & being happening duringthe last 15 -20 years due to population pressure,expansion for investment, etc

• Limitation of user-friendly guideline & orientation/capacity building over different regions

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Suggestions from learning from doings:• Potential simplifications: Africa context• Capacity development/ clear and relatively simple guideline• Methodology development• Revising eligibility criteri• Revising additionality (financial) in countries across LDCs where

finance is already deficient• Revising leakage concept• Introducing POA• Communicating the EB amendments to each country & also the

respective country DNA has to keep on updating the projectdevelopers

• Linking with transaction cost provider and making use of theexperiences of who learned ‘hard way’ from doing

• Price of Forestry ER has to increase, which encourage privatestoo

• May be country/su-country wise baseline instead of project byproject

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Humbo after two years (2009)

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Scaling up & considerations• WVE already scaling up more than 8,000ha AR with WV

Canada• Piloting Carbon Fix Standard AR at over 500ha mountain

with WV Australia• POA (15,000ha AR, 15,000 stoves and about 20,000ha

agriculture carbon) under discussion among GoE, WB, WVA & WVE

• Processing about 100,000 energy efficient stove • As WV we want to continue projects/programs qualifying for

sustainable development

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Identified area for scaling up as well as run other components are:

No. SLM Wereda/Site

Soil carbon

Energy Efficiency

Humbo up scaling REDD+

1 Woliso/ Rebu √ √ √2 Omo Nada/ Nada Asendabo √ √ √3 Medebay Zana/ Adi Tsegora √ √ √4 Asosa/ Hoha √ √ √5 Antsokiya Gemza/ Sal √ √ √6 Jabi Tehnan/ Kechem √ √7 Angacha/ Hazga √ √8 Yimana Densa/ Yezat √ √9 Gimbo/ Geshi √ √ √10 Godere/ Zei √ √ √

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God bless our Globe!!!

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