Community guidelines for accessing forestry voluntary carbon ... - FAO

Community guidelines for accessing forestry voluntary carbon markets
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Are these distribution systems perceived as equitable by
local stakeholders?
Do local stakeholders have prior experience with
agreements or contracts regarding distribution of benefits
from natural resource-based projects?
VCM project developers and investors both need to have confidence
in the contractual arrangements reached with local stakeholders,
including community and government representatives. They also
require reasonable assurance that their interests will be protected in
case these arrangements break down. Forestry officials across the Asia-
Pacific region are largely unused to providing such assurances to project
developers and investors in the forestry sector. The growing interest in
the forestry VCM may focus their attention on the importance of this
issue, if these project developers and investors develop common cause
at the regional level.
3.1.6 Cost – benefit analysis
After screening the project against all the above criteria, and any other
locally-relevant parameters, project developers must begin a full and
proper cost-benefit analysis. This is not only about financial costs and
benefits, but must also include social and environmental issues.
On the benefit side of the equation, it will not be possible to have
100 percent accuracy, due to the risks outlined in section 2.3.1 (and
discussed further in chapter 6). Instead, preliminary quantitative and
objective estimates must be made for:
• Changes in carbon stock and GHG emissions in the baseline
situation;
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