Workshop to determine land eligibility for CDM and VCS project development in India

Afforestation and Reforestation (AR) projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) have faced various challenges, one of the key ones being the issue of ‘land eligibility’.

In this context, Socio-eCO2NOmix-Global in association with VEDA Climate Change Solutions Ltd (VCCSL) who developed and implemented the UNFCCC registered AR CDM Project ‘Improving Rural Livelihoods through Carbon Sequestration by Adopting Environment Friendly Technology based Agroforestry Practices’ organised  an international  workshop to determine the land eligibility for project development under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of UNFCCC and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) on Thursday, August 11^th 2011.

The discussion was led by Dr. Krygier, Professor of Geography, Mr. Andrew Meyer, Economics Professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, USA and Ms. Amy Work, GIS Specialist, Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT), NY, USA. The participants included Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists and representatives from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), the World Bank, Rabo Foundation, RBS Foundation, Andhra University, industry, government and non-governmental organisations.

The information pertaining to the project that has been developed and operationalised by Veda Climate Change Solutions Ltd (VCCSL) was presented by Mr. Sai Kishore, Executive Director, VCCSL. Mr. Sriharsha, Executive Associate, Socio-eCO2NOmix-Global, presented the activities to be undertaken by them to replicate and scale up the VCCSL model.

This was followed by presentations by various GIS specialists to assess the methods that can be deployed for identifying eligible lands through geospatial technologies. Several methods were debated in terms of advantages versus cost effectiveness, availability of raw data and time constraints. Lack of base-line data and ownership records for small land pockets were discussed.

Mr. Ranjan Samantaray from the World Bank commended the activities and also indicated that they were looking to partner with projects aimed at improving the livelihoods of poor and marginal farmers. Mr. Samantaray also highlighted that the social nature of the credits added a different dimension to the already existing Carbon Credits. Such projects would help the corporate world meet their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals in the course of their climate change mitigation activities.

Sai Kishore is the Executive Director of VEDA Climate Change Solutions Ltd (VCCSL)

Powerpoint presentations from the workshop, August 11^th 2011

• Improving Rural Livelihoods through Carbon Sequestration by adopting environment friendly technology based agro-forestry practices – Sai Kishore Nellore, VEDA Climate Change Solutions Ltd.