Guangxi is located in the middle and upper reaches of the Pearl River, covering 50.2% of the land area of Pearl River watershed. Due to the high precipitation, frequent storms, complex landform and steep valleys, and poor watershed management, the area is subject to severe soil and water erosion along the River. The project aims to reforest around 9,000 ha of multiple purpose forests which will be established on degraded lands in Longlin, Tianlin and Linyun counties.
Total sequestration from the project is estimated at 0.99 Mt CO2e by 2017 (0.17 Mt CO2e or 17% by 2012). Carbon finance achieved by A/R activities would increase the economic revenue from the land, making them economically attractive, as well as help project developers overcome investment barriers, such as lack of available bank loans and governmental equity. Without the proposed A/R projects, the lands to be reforested will continue to degrade. The project has considerable additional environmental and social benefits. The project will be designed to satisfy Climate, Community and Biodiversity Project Design Standards and pursue a gold medal in CCB certification. All tree species selected under the project are native to the region (including a mix of birch, China fir, Chinese red pine and sweetgum). The project will also control the soil and water erosion and land degradation in the selected project areas and enhance biodiversity conservation by increasing forest cover and nature habitat connectivity. The local households’ income in the project’s area is much lower than the national level. The project aims to generate income to the local farmers and promote local community development. Income should also be generated through wood products, resin and other forest products. Around 72 percent of local people are ethnic minorities, including Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Yi and Gelao ethnicities. Significant community buy-in for the project and the implementation of a monitoring plan should mitigate leakage and non-permanence problems.
The project developer is the Forestry Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), which has implemented a number of national and regional ecological forestry projects, such as Shelterbelt Forest Development Program along the coastal region and Watershed Protection Forest Program along the Pearl River. This agency has also participated in three World Bank financed forestry development projects, accumulating rich experience in afforestation and watershed management. It is also the project proponent for the first registered A/R CDM project, i.e., Facilitating Reforestation for Guangxi Watershed Management in the Pearl River Basin.
Total Project Emission Reductions Generation tCO2e – 580,000
