The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

CM3.2. Preliminary High Conservation ValuesMonitoring PlanDevelop an initial plan for how they will assess the effectiveness ofmeasures used to maintain or enhance High Conservation Valuesrelated to community well-­‐being (G1.8.4-­‐6) present in the project zone.All of the monitoring described above under Section CM3.1applies directly to monitoring under this section for ensuring themaintenance of HCVs 4-­‐6 in the Project Zone. Moreover, aninitial social survey of the Project Zone found that rivers providean important source of water and fish protein to localcommunities. These HCV5 and HCV6 areas will be mappeddefinitively in parallel with community land mapping activitiesdescribed in Section CM3.3 below as part of a full HCVassessment.CM3.3. Development of Comprehensive CommunityMonitoring PlanCommit to developing a full monitoring plan within six months of theproject start date or within twelve months of validation against theStandards and to disseminate this plan and the results of monitoring,ensuring that they are made publicly available on the internet and arecommunicated to the communities and other stakeholders.Project proponents are committed to developing a fullcommunity monitoring plan within twelve months of validationagainst the CCB Standards. In addition to the development of amonitoring plan, Phase II of the Community Assessment – to beconducted by Daemeter Consulting – will focus on four maintasks:Community Needs AssessmentAn in-­‐depth community needs assessment will be carried out foreach community in the Project Zone prior to any on-­‐the-­‐groundproject implementation. Such an assessment is important foridentifying gaps between community needs and desiredconditions with regard to all five capital assets (as described inSection CM3.1 above) – the foundation for creating sustainablelivelihoods. This information will feed into all elements of projectdevelopment, and will particularly guide the design of suitablecommunity development programs. Importantly, it will alsoinitiate relationship-­‐building, crucial to project success. Engagingcommunities early in the project, with a focus on their needs, isalso an important way to build a sense of belonging to theproject. It must be noted that this can also be one of the riskieststages in project development as it is often the stage wherecommunities’ hopes are raised and expectations can soar.Communities will be hoping for programs that offer immediatetangible benefits (jobs, healthcare, and other income-­‐relatedactivities). If such hopes are unwittingly created during this initialengagement, and subsequently unmet, conflict will likely arise,risking project success. It is critical that this assessment isundertaken in a manner that manages this risk. To avoid theserisks, this assessment will be undertaken in cooperation withWorld Education, which has active programs and a productiveworking relationship in three Project Zone villages (Baung, UlakBatu and Palingkau).251