8332 piloting of participatory approaches in two communes

Activities included two studies in the project region: firstly, a feasibility-study on the potential of REDD+ in the project region and Quang Binh Province, and secondly, a study on soci

Concept Note: Piloting of Participatory Approaches in Quang Binh Province

1 Overall objective

Support the provincial government of Quang Binh with the preparation and implementation of REDD+ pilot activities with a focus on local communities and participatory approaches

2 Background

Vietnam is a FCPF and a UN-REDD Country Regarding UN-REDD, Vietnam completed Phase 1 of the Programme in October 2012, and a funding agreement for a Phase 2 was signed with Norway in December 2012 (US$ 30 Mio.) Phase 2 will reduce emissions in six provinces, working with provincial, district and commune authorities, local communities, and the private sector Regarding FCPF, the Government of Vietnam is in the process of signing the Readiness Preparation Grant Agreement of US$ 3.8 Mio The FCPF Grant has been officially approved by MARD and assigned Dr Cuong as Director of Project Management Board (MARD)

The Province of Quang Binh was selected as one out of three pilot provinces by the Vietnamese Government under the FCPF Grant; the other two provinces are Quang Tri and Dak Nong The FCPF Grant Document is structured into four main components; these are:

 Component 1 ($ 1.5 Mio): Analytical studies and development of capacities for the effective

and efficient REDD+ implementation at national and provincial level

 Component 2 ($ 0.7 Mio): Policies review, studies and development of user-friendly

guidance materials on SFC reform for REDD+ service provision

 Component 3 ($ 0.95 Mio): Stakeholder consultation and regional cooperation; and

Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) in connection with the refinement of national and sub-national REDD+ strategy options

 Component 4 ($ 0.5 Mio): Project management and monitoring and evaluation

(FCPF Assessment Note 2012, 16)

Apart from the FCPF Grant, the preparations for REDD+ in Quang Binh were started in late 2012 In September 2012, additional funding (200.000 Euros) was made available by the Phong Nha-Ke Bang (PNKB) Project to support REDD+ activities in the province

Activities included two studies in the project region: firstly, a feasibility-study on the potential of REDD+ in the project region and Quang Binh Province, and secondly, a study on social safeguards in the context of REDD+ Additionally, satellite imagery for the complete province (year 1995, and period 2004-2006) was purchased in December 2012, a REDD+ Kick-Off Meeting and different study tours were organized to inform relevant stakeholders about the state of the art of REDD in Vietnam and other countries:

March 2012

 GIZ Portfolio Development Mission: Suggests a REDD+ Pilot Project in Quang Binh

September 2012

 GIZ REDD+ Assessment Study with Kay Kallweit



October 2012

 Provincial REDD+ Kick-Off Workshop supported by PNKB Project

 Establishment of Provincial REDD+ Steering Committee

November 2012

 Study Tour to Dien Bien supported by the PNKB Project

 Study on Social Safeguards by Rita Gebert supported by PNKB ProjectStudy Tour to Indonesia supported by PNKB Project

December 2012

 Satellite Imagery ordered for the province supported by PNKB Project

 ICI Project Proposal on REDD+ in Quang Binh was handed in

3 Current State of Information on Social Safeguards

As explained above, the PNKB Project requested a consultant to assess the REDD+ readiness of the Quang Binh Province regarding Social Safeguards in 2012 In summary, the study revealed the following:

 Years of forest allocation and forest protection policies have reduced ethnic minority people’s claims to land and forest land One of the few ways left open to ensure that ethnic minority people are able to benefit from REDD+ would be CFM

 SFEs have been allocated land that would have traditionally belonged to ethnic minority people Gap-filling will require much more land made available from the SFEs for local communities

 The slow process of forest land re-allocation combined with local communities’ agricultural land shortages in some communes, is resulting in a number of unresolved conflicts between the SFEs and local people Such gaps could be filled during a REDD+ readiness process with an accelerated process of FLA, with co-management modalities developed for special use and other forest types, and CFM

 Another important aspect will be to create information campaigns on the entitlements, rights and obligations that local communities have vis-à-vis forest land

 Development of a transparent and credible safeguards reporting system at the sub-national level will also be of top priority in achieving REDD+ readiness

Consequently, the piloting of F-PIC processes in Quang Binh province would have to address the difficult status of forest land tenure involving land conflicts among different stakeholders and lacking information of local people on forest-related legislations Potential instruments to include local communities in a REDD+ benefit sharing mechanism would be FLA and CFM

For more information, read the complete study of Rita Gebert (2012): “Social Safeguards and REDD+

Readiness - Frameworks and Gaps in Quang Binh Vietnam”

4 Piloting of Participatory Approaches in Selected Communities

Based on the outcomes of the Social Safeguards Study, a Participatory Mapping Activity and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment will be planned in two communes in the PNKB buffer zone These activities will also be in support of the FCPF Grant Component 3 on Stakeholder consultation and regional cooperation; and Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) in connection with the refinement of national and sub-national REDD+ strategy options

The short-term outcome of the participatory process will be a report containing the mapping of customary and legal land titles and the outcomes of the social and environmental impact assessment (Phase I) This gathered information will build the basis for further negotiating activities in the context of participatory forest land management in the pilot communes (Phase II) This phased

approach is closely built upon a guide published by RECOFTC and GIZ (2011): Free, Prior, and

Informed Consent in REDD+” which contains guidelines and instructions for participatory processes in

the context of REDD+

4.1 Phase I: Participatory Assessment of Pilot Communes

a) Selection of pilot communes for participatory processes

In a first step, at least two potential communes to pilot participatory processes are to be selected These communes should be located in the current PNKB project area (thus in the buffer zone of the PNKB National Park) Different criteria should form the basis for selection, such as location, forms of land tenure, potential for CFM or FLA and occurrence/severity of land conflicts in the commune The core question that needs to be asked during this first assessment is “Do local communities have customary and/or legal rights to the area?” The selection of the communes will be conducted by the project staff in consultation with provincial stakeholders and RECOFTC The Social Safeguards Study

of Rita Gebert and the SFE Assessment Study by Björn Wode, both studies have been written in the process of the PNKB Project, can serve as the basis for the selection

Based on the recent screening exercise carried out by project staff, three potential communes are proposed to be target areas for piloting the Participatory Process These include: Thuong Trach commune in Bo Trach district, Trong Hoa Commune in Minh Hoa district, and Truong Son commune

in Quang Ninh district The proposed communes can represent for different types management options as the result of negotiation process that follows.After the potential pilot communities are identified, consultations with responsible institutions at provincial, district and commune level will be initiated These consultations should serve to inform the responsible public agencies about the current state of the potential pilot communes in relation to customary/legal land rights and land conflicts Furthermore, the project will inform and discuss with these public agencies about the plans regarding participatory mapping and the negotiation of potential co-management arrangements at a later stage of the process In the best case, the public agencies are in support of the plans and the participatory processes can go into the planning and conduction stage In the case that the agencies

do not agree with the proposed plans, alternative plans and/or alternative pilot communes should be discussed

In conclusion, the support of the public agencies will be vital to conduct a negotiation process concerning co-management arrangements at a later stage

b) Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment

After the pilot communes are identified and agreed with governmental agencies, a process of Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment can be started These participatory activities are important in order to gain clarity on who holds what rights

in the area of the proposed REDD+ project, as this will define who has the right to be consulted and which rights holders can give or withhold consent There are often different customary and formal interpretations of rights operating in the same area All tenure claims should be mapped Effective mapping of rights and land use needs to be a participatory social process, where the community is assisted to identify the areas that it uses and has customary rights over

The process may bring up overlapping claims from within the community, with neighbouring communities, and with government and third parties who have been issued licenses The creation of maps and images (including sketch maps and GIS maps overlaid on topographic maps, satellite images, and aerial photographs) can serve as a catalyst for discussions and negotiations on who has

rights to particular areas and resources, and as a way of recording the agreements reached (see RECOFTC and GIZ (2011): Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in REDD+”)

Specific actions in the pilot communes include:

 Facilitation of meetings at community level to inform people about Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment as well as about the entitlements, rights and obligations that local communities have vis-à-vis forest land The meetings will be conducted by the project staff and community forestry consultant(s)

 Conduction of the Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment in the communities of the pilot communes (approx 10-15 villages per commune (?)) supported by the project staff and community forestry consultant

 Compilation of the gathered information and maps into concluding reports (one for each commune) containing an exemplary description of the mapping and impact assessment process, a synthesis of main discussion points among the community members, main conflict lines, etc Finally, the reports should indicate next steps for activities and a potential scenario for a negotiation process regarding management and land allocation options in the two communes

4.2 Phase II: Negotiation Process on Participatory Forest Management Options

Building on the outcomes of Phase I, the negotiation process can be started However, the second phase should only be initiated if the Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment concluded that significant land conflicts exist and/or the current forest resource management practices are unsustainable which can be solved and/or improve with participatory forest management approaches (such as co-management and/or community-based forest management); and after the communities agreed to proceed with the process

The negotiation process will be planned in detail after the Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment is finished, since both are going to contain important information for the further procedure Participants in the negotiation process will be all involved stakeholders i.e those that have legal land titles in the commune and those that claim customary titles as well as the relevant governmental agencies

5 Deliverables/Output

5.1 Phase I

 Communities of the pilot communes are informed about the entitlements, rights and

obligations that local communities have vis-à-vis forest land

 Communities of the pilot communes participated in Participatory Mapping and Participatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessment activities They are aware of customary and

legal land titles as well as border lines in their area

 A report containing the mapping of customary and legal land titles and the outcomes of the

social and environmental impact assessment is available for each pilot commune

 Next steps for activities and a potential scenario for a negotiation process regarding co-management/community-based forest management and land allocation options in the two communes are developed

5.2 Phase II

 Negotiations about the inclusion of local communities in forest management activities took place between customary and legal land title holders

 The outcome of the negotiations is a draft agreement that addresses the demands of all stakeholders and is discussed among them The draft agreement will also include dispute settlement and monitoring procedures in order to enable long term implementation

 If the local communities finally adopt the content of the agreement, they can give their informed consent and the agreement will be implemented

6 Timeframe & Budget

The activities will be implemented in 2013 For more detailed information about the timeframe and budget see Excel Table “Projektplanung and Budget”

7 Sources and further reading

Gebert, Rita (2012): Social Safeguards and REDD+ Readiness - Frameworks and Gaps in Quang Binh

Vietnam

FCPF (2012): Readiness Preparation Proposal Assessment Note

RECOFTC and GIZ (2011): Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in REDD+

Wode, Björn (2012): Assessment of current forest land use and ownership by SFEs and other land

use in the bufferzone as inputs for BZDP

Rita Gebert (2011): Study on Poverty, Gender and Ethnicity in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park

Buffer Zone Communes, Quang Binh Vietnam