Community-based Landscape Management for Reduction of Deforestation and

Strengthening of Climate Resilience of Local Livelihoods in the Important

Watersheds

Timor-Leste | JICA

29 March 2019
 Community-based Landscape Management for Reduction of Deforestation
Project/Programme Title: and Strengthening of Climate Resilience of Local Livelihoods in the
Important Watersheds

Country(ies): Timor-Leste (East Timor)

National Designated Authority(ies) National Directorate for Climate Change (DNAC) Direcção Nacional para
(NDA): Alterações Climáticas (DNAC)
General Director of Forest, Coffee, and Industrial Plants (GDFCIP) and its
National Directorates (National Directorate of Forest and Watershed
Executing Entities:
Management: NDFWM, National Directorate of Nature Conservation:
NDNC, and National Directorate of Coffee and Industrial Plants: NDCIP)
Accredited Entity(ies) (AE):
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Date of first submission/ version
3/29/2019 V.1
number:

Date of current submission/

3/29/2019 V.1
version number
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A. Project / Programme Information (max. 1 page)

☒ Project ☒ Public sector

A.2. Public or
A.1. Project or programme A.3 RFP Not applicable
private sector
☐ Programme ☐ Private sector

Mitigation: Reduced emissions from:

☐ Energy access and power generation: 0%
☐ Low emission transport: 0%
☐ Buildings, cities and industries and appliances: 0%
A.4. Indicate the result ☒ Forestry and land use: 25%
areas for the
project/programme Adaptation: Increased resilience of:
☒ Most vulnerable people and communities: 25%
☒ Health and well-being, and food and water security: 25%
☐ Infrastructure and built environment: 0%
☒ Ecosystem and ecosystem services: 25%

A.5.1. Estimated mitigation impact

(tCO2eq over project lifespan)
A.5.2. Estimated adaptation impact
303,948 direct beneficiaries
(number of direct beneficiaries)
A.5. Impact potential
A.5.3. Estimated adaptation impact
607,896 indirect beneficiaries
(number of indirect beneficiaries)
A.5.4. Estimated adaptation impact
24.8% of the country’s total population
(% of total population)

A.6. Financing information

A.6.1. Indicative GCF

funding requested (max Amount: 9,950,000 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: Grants
10M)
Amount: 4,100,000 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: Grants
Institution: JICA/GEF (SNAP)
Amount: 250,000 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: Grants
A.6.2. Indicative co-financing Institution: FAO
Amount: 400,000 Currency: USD Financial Instrument: Other (Instrument Description:
Gov.)
Institution: GOTL

A.6.3. Indicative total project

Amount: 14,700,000 Currency: USD
cost (GCF + co-finance)

disbursement
A.6. Estimated duration of period: 84 A.7.2. Estimated project/
120
project/ programme: repayment period, if Programme lifespan
applicable:
A.8. Is funding from the A.9. Is the Environmental and
☐ Yes ☒ Yes
Project Preparation Social Safeguards Category C or
☒ No ☐ No
Facility needed? I-3?
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The project aims to protect natural forests and strengthen livelihood

resilience to climate change through enhancement of local stakeholders'
capacity for sustainable management of natural resources (forests, lands,
water, and livestock) and introduction of climate smart agriculture in
A.10. Provide rationale for
prioritized watersheds. Main activities of the project include participatory
the ESS categorization
(100 words) assessment and planning, technical assistance, extension support, and
training without any infrastructure development. Therefore this project is
qualified as “risk category C” according to ESS guidelines for SAP. Detailed
study for ESS will be conducted by NDA/EE and AE in the process for
Funding proposal preparation.
A.11. Has the CN been ☒ Yes ☐ Confidential
A.12. Confidentiality
shared with the NDA? ☐ No ☒ Not confidential
In Timor-Leste, the majority of the populations are highly vulnerable to
climate change as they live in hills and mountains and have less
opportunities for income generation. They have suffered from forest and
A.13. Project/Programme land degradation and natural hazards, which have been getting intense and
rationale, objectives and frequent recently as a result of climate change. Deforestation has also
approach of progressed and led to increased emission of GHG.
programme/project (max The project aims to (i) strengthen local capacity to manage natural
100 words)
resources in a sustainable manner, (ii) introduce proven methods to
strengthen livelihood resilience (e.g., climate smart agriculture, community
based forest management, agroforestry, and sustainable land
management).
B. Project / Programme details
B.1. Context and Baseline (500 words)
(1) Climate Vulnerabilities and Impacts

Rural people in Timor-Leste are very vulnerable to climate change and suffer from the effects of
natural disaster caused by climate change, such as frequent droughts, floods, heavy and long rains,
and soil erosion as well as landslides accelerated by unsustainable land use/management of steep
sloping lands. Particularly, local livelihoods in rural uplands are adversely affected by the
consequences of natural events, such as, land degradation due to soil erosion, reduction of water at
the sources, crop failure due to droughts, heavy rains, and strong winds, and mortality of domestic
animals due to droughts and long rains. These adverse effects are expected to become more severe
in the near future with climate change, such as increase of temperatures, erratic rainfalls, long dry
season, long rains, in combination with improper and unsustainable forest and land management.

(2) GHG Emissions

Deforestation is one of the major sources of GHG emission in Timor-Leste as reported by its Initial
National Communication on Climate Change (2013). Although there is no reliable data on the GHG
emission from land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF), the results of the recent survey in
2012 indicating the extensive deforestation between 2003 and 2012 (183,900 ha for 10 years)
suggests that deforestation is considered as one of the significant sources of GHG emission. As the
main drivers of deforestation are forest fire, shifting cultivation, and conversion of forests into other
land uses, which are mainly caused by human economic activities in rural areas, forest conservation
and reforestation along with agroforestry and livelihood improvement are key measures as indicated in
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the National Communication.

(3) National Priorities, Action Plans and Programs, Country Ownership

The National Adaptation Plan of Actions (NAPA) of Timor-Leste proposes the following actions as
priority interventions to reduce vulnerability of rural communities.

Options: Conservation of forest ecosystems

Activities
 Reforestation in degraded lands with fuel wood plantations
 Demonstration of sustainable agriculture and forest management for enhancement of local
awareness
 Building of capacity of local farmers for agroforestry and sustainable forest management

Options: Food security

Activities:
 Development of integrated agroforestry and watershed management
 Implementation of integrated sustainable land management with promotion of fixed/permanent
farming
 Development of famers' strategies for crop losses, conservation agriculture, and water harvesting
 Implementation of agroforestry and community forestry
Enhancement of awareness of sustainable agriculture and forest management

The draft Revised National Forest Policy and the Law on the General Regime of Forests
promulgated in 2017 provide the policy and legal framework for community participation in forest
protection and management, reforestation, and watershed conservation. General Director of Forest,
Coffee, and Industrial Plants (GDFCIP) and its subordinate national directorates are currently
formulating the National Roadmap for Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
which aims to scale up the CBNRM mechanism to 14 prioritized watersheds covering 44% of the total
land of the country. The project represents the first step in this scaling up, covering four (4) prioritized
watersheds.

(4) Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)

The CBNRM mechanism was developed and piloted by MAF(Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries)
and its partner agencies including JICA in 30 villages since 2010. It has been proven effective in i)
promotion of sustainable land management, ii) protection and restoration of forests in water catchment
areas, iii) reduction of deforestation and forest degradation, iv) improvement of crop productivity, and
v) diversification of sources of income. It is confirmed in the villages where the CBNRM mechanism is
in place that the incidence of forest fire, illegal exploitation of forest resources, and free animal grazing
has been reduced and those who applied the farming techniques (e.g., sustainable and sloping land
management) introduced in the process of the mechanism have doubled maize production from 1.0
ton/ha to 2.0~2.5 ton/ha.

The mechanism is composed of: i) participatory land use planning; ii) capacity building for
sustainable land management, agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture, reforestation, and livelihood
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development; iii) participatory monitoring, and iv) strengthening of local adaptive management
capacity.

(5) Root Causes and Barriers

The root cause of rural communities' vulnerability to climate change is the vicious cycle of poverty
and natural resource degradation, which is sustained by i) low agricultural productivity due to limited
knowledge on sustainable agriculture; ii) crop damage caused by free animal grazing and forest fire;
iii) lack of access to alternative sources of income; iv) weakening of enforcement of customary rules on
natural resource use; v) limited market access; and (vi) limited capacity for providing extension support
from government and non-government bodies. The project intends to address all the factors through
the introduction of the CBNRM mechanism as proved in the 30 pilot villages.

Another key constraint on promotion of mitigation measures against GHG emission from LULUCF,
especially deforestation and forest degradation, is the limited capacity of the GoTL for measuring,
reporting, and verifying (MRV) mitigation impacts of sustainable forest and land management
activities. Currently, no incentive mechanism for sustainable forest management has been introduced
and demonstrated in the country due to the lack of baseline data or the capacity for continuous MRV.
This issue could be addressed and tackled by the newly proposed GCF Readiness project supported
by FAO, which might be launched in 2020.

(6) Dynamics in the natural resource management sectors

In addition to the government, many international development partners and NGOs have
recognized the critical importance of enhancing the productivity and sustainability of natural resource
management by rural communities for their own benefits. GDFCIP has initiated regular coordination
meetings with over 20 representatives from organizations and projects promoting sustainable natural
resource management (NRM) in Timor-Leste. The guidelines for introduction of the CBNRM
mechanism (participatory assessment, planning, and implementation of CBNRM) have been
recognized and recommended by the government as standard operating procedures in the NRM
sector. The lessons from the project will be regularly shared with other development initiatives through
this coordination arrangement.
B.2. Project / Programme description (1000 words)

(1) Project Indicative Outputs and Activities

The project will deliver the following three (3) outputs to achieve sustainable management of natural
resources (e.g., soils, forests, and water) while strengthening climate resilience of local livelihoods in
the 4 prioritized watersheds.

Output 1: Enhancement of local communities' capacity for sustainable protection and adaptive
management of natural resources through introduction of the CBNRM mechanism and community
forestry (CF)

The output will ensure that local communities, including local leaders, enhance their capacity for
adaptive management and sustainable protection of natural resources in the localities through
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application of the CBNRM process. Key activities of this output are: i) to assist communities in the
development and adoption of village NRM regulations (including adoption through customary tara
bandu ceremony) and community-based adaptation plans through participatory land use planning
(PLUP) with climate change vulnerability assessment (CCVA) at village level; ii) to enhance village
leaders' capacities for adaptive management of natural resources in the respective villages through
continuous meetings; and iii) to form and strengthen coordination frameworks at post-administrative
(sub-district) level to enhance local stakeholders' capacity (e.g., local government unit and village
leaders) for sustainable landscape management at sub-watershed level, and iv) to introduce and
promote CF with community forest management agreement in selected villages in the prioritized
watersheds.

Output 2: Improvement of local livelihoods and reduction of climate change vulnerability by

introducing climate smart agriculture and sustainable land and forest management practices through
continuous hands-on training

This output aims to strengthen climate resilience of local livelihoods through diversification of
livelihood opportunities and building of local capacity for sustainable land and forest management,
which can also strengthen the effects of village NRM regulations as it will help local communities
change their extensive/ unsustainable farming and land management practices into the more
sustainable ways. The main activities are: i) provision of continuous hands-on training on techniques/
skills for sustainable land management, agroforestry, climate smart agriculture, sustainable forest
management, reforestation, livelihood development, and livestock management for small/ marginal
farmers; and ii) enhancement of the capacity of MAF and NGO field officers to provide technical
advisory services on climate smart agriculture, sustainable land and forest management, and
livelihood improvement.

Output 3: Development of enabling environment for sustainable land and forest management
through CBNRM and CF

This output will support the expansion of CBNRM and CF beyond the four (4) prioritized
watersheds. Activities for producing this output include: i) to consolidate the legislative and
government systems for expansion of CBNRM and CF; ii) to build the capacity of field facilitators for
building village leaders' capacity for adaptive management of local natural resources; iii) to support the
integration of local coordination frameworks for watershed management with the existing national
watershed management council; iv) to strengthen the capacity of key officials of the relevant
government organizations, e.g., MAF/GDFCIP, Municipal MAF officers, National Directorate of Climate
Change, and Municipal Administrative Offices, for implement a project/program similar in a nature to
the proposed project, and v) to enhance the awareness of CBNRM/CF among the legislators as well
as decision makers of the GoTL at central and municipal levels by holding international and national
seminars and organizing side events in the international conferences (e.g., COP meeting for
UNFCCC) , so that CBNRM/CF could be mainstreamed by both the central and municipal
governments as a key approach to coping with climate change.

(2) Rationale for Scale-up of the Project

The CBNRM mechanism, particularly PLUP, which is the key instrument in CBNRM, has been
tested, refined and demonstrated in about 30 villages throughout the country by several MAF
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development partners. Likewise, the local inter-village coordination framework for watershed
management has been put in place in selected sub-watersheds by JICA CBNRM Project since 2010
and similar institutional set-ups are planned in some watersheds by another on-going World Bank-
supported project. In view of the effectiveness of the CBNRM mechanism, not only its short-term
results during the project period but also its long-term conservation effect on natural resources,
particularly lands and forests, GDFCIP intends to adopt CBNRM as a common approach to be applied
to any forest sector project. Hence, GDFCIP has recently drafted a national strategic action plan
(CBNRM Roadmap) to scale up the mechanism in the 14 prioritized watersheds (7,576 km2 or 44% of
the total national land) in the country. The proposed project is a part of this strategic plan with an aim
to create favourable conditions for further investments in expansion of the same to the entire country
through demonstration of the effectiveness of CBNRM.

As mentioned in B.1 Context and Baseline, the current policy and the law in the forest sector of
Timor-Leste clearly support the expansion of CBNRM and CF as key actions to the achievement of the
goal of the forest sector in Timor-Leste.

(3) Target Areas of the Project

The proposed project targets four (4) high prioritized watersheds (i.e., Laclo, Tafara, Calaulun, and
Comoro watersheds) out of the 14 priority ones. The total coverage of the watersheds is 2,555 km2,
which is 17% of the total land area of the country. The project will directly benefit local communities in
a total of 110 villages (i.e., one quarter of all villages in the country) geographically related to the 4
watersheds, and contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions from 1,349 km2 of existing forests in the
watersheds.

(4) Possible Accredited Entity

JICA has implemented the CBNRM Project since 2010 and will continue to do so until 2020, and
beyond if funding for the project can be secured. Its rich knowledge of CBNRM and long experience in
project management in the agriculture and forestry sectors in not only Timor-Leste but also other Asian
countries are expected to facilitate effective implementation and operations of the project.

(5) Key Risks

Although there are some MAF/GDFCIP officials who have experiences in working in projects similar
in nature to the proposed project, more time and opportunities are needed to enable them, particularly
those working at municipality level, to manage and operate a participatory NRM project in an efficient,
effective, and transparent manner. Additionally, the fluctuations in budget allocation to GDFCIP and its
national directorates as well as MAF municipal offices affect their ability to manage long term projects.
The proposed mitigation measures for such potential risks is to integrate a new JICA TA project with
the proposed project, so that the proposed project could be implemented with technical assistance
from international experts of the TA project. By doing such an arrangement, GDFCIP and its national
directorates could strengthen their managerial capacity through day-to-day coaching from the experts
in the course of the project implementation. The financial risk could also be minimized as the
TA project could provide in-kind supports (such as transportation, equipment, etc.) in addition to
technical support and assist the national directorates in the preparation of rational work and budget
plans necessary for budgetary request. Another key strategy to cope with the capacity risk is the
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effective utilization of existing service providers, such as NGOs, especially those trained by the on-
going JICA Project as well as those fostered by the activities of Output 3.
B.3. Expected project results aligned with the GCF investment criteria (500 words)

(1) Impact Potential

An initial assessment made by the JICA CBNRM Project suggests that the introduction of the
CBNRM mechanism could reduce the CO2 emission from forests by 34% as compared to the
emissions under business as usual. At the end of the project, the CO2 emissions could be reduced by
about 0.3~0.5 million CO2 ton per year by the interventions.

About 11,000 households in 110 villages will directly benefit from the project, particularly by
FFSs/hands-on training in climate smart agriculture and sustainable land and forest management
practices under Output 2. The majority of them are marginal farmers who rely on farm products from
shifting cultivation and/or farming in sloping lands to sustain their livelihoods. Moreover, about 50,660
households in the same villages will indirectly benefit from protection and improvement of forest
ecosystem services through the activities under Output 1.

(2) Paradigm Shift

Potential for scaling-up and Contribution to the creation of an enabling environment

As described in “Key Risks” in the previous section, the limitation of human and financial resources
are the persistent difficulties that GDFCIP and its national directorates have faced in scaling up the
results of projects. Among others, capacity development is considered as the fundamental issue to be
addressed for scaling-up the proposed project activities in other prioritized watersheds, as MAF/
GDFCIP has, at present and in the near future, access to financial assistance from multi- and bi-lateral
funding agencies.

The potential for scaling up and replication of the project activities could be enhanced by the
project, as it will directly address the capacity issue by i) building the capacity of MAF and NGO field
officers and facilitators; and ii) strengthening of GDFCIP officials' capacity for project management
through the joint implementation of the project with the JICA TA. As GDFCIP has clearly indicated its
intention to adopt the CBNRM mechanism as a main approach for addressing deforestation and
attaining sustainable forest management in rural areas in the country, the project interventions are
expected to help GDFCIP pave the way for mobilization of the government resources as well as those
provided or offered by MAF Development Partners/ international financial institutions to further
implement the CBNRM Roadmap. As described in B.2, the proposed project, in addition of building of
capacities of relevant stakeholders, will: i) develop legislation and other government systems to
mainstream CBRNM and CF as key government programs; ii) demonstrate positive impacts of the
CBNRM mechanism on resilience of local livelihoods and protection of forest resources; iii)
institutionalize local coordination frameworks for landscape management at sub-watershed level as
part of the existing national framework; and iv) enhance the awareness of positive effects of CBNRM/
CF on climate change impacts among decision makers of the GoTL.

The village-level mechanism and capacities are expected to be maintained as local assets even in
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the post project periods, as the project will make maximum use of locally available rules, knowledge,
and resources, such as i) strengthening existing customary rules in the villages, ii) building local
leaders' capacity for sustainable natural resource management, iii) improvement of forestry and
farming practices using locally available resources.

Potential for knowledge and learning

JICA has a systematic monitoring and evaluation system which all the JICA projects should comply
with. Regular monitoring and periodic evaluation will enable JICA and MAF/GDFCIP to draw useful
lessons from the project implementation. Lessons learned from the project will be documented so that
they could be used and referred in the planning and implementation of other projects through the
regular coordination meetings led by GDFCIP.

(3) Sustainable Development Potential (Environmental, Social, Economic Co-benefits, and Gender
sensitive impacts)

The proposed project is expected to improve the watershed environment through i) reduction of
deforestation and forest degradation, ii) rehabilitation of degraded lands and forests, iii) protection of
sloping farmlands from soil erosion, and iv) protection of forest ecosystems for important biodiversity.
The project will also contribute to the improvement of socio-economic conditions of marginal farmers in
the watersheds through: i) increase of crop production, ii) diversification of crops and livelihoods, iii)
protection of water sources, and iv) protection of sacred places and rural traditional customs.

Due attention will be paid to women involvement in the components, to make the project activities,
especially future land use plans, village regulations, and FFSs, gender-sensitive enough and provide
sufficient benefits to them.

(4) Needs of the Recipients

Rural communities living in remote hilly and mountainous areas are one of the most vulnerable
people in the country as indicated by NAPA in 2010. They have faced several climate-related natural
hazards, e.g., droughts, strong winds, landslides, and land degradation. These hazards have been
accelerated by deforestation and forest degradation caused by human economic activities, e.g.,
shifting cultivation, hunting, illegal exploitation, and animal grazing. The strengthening of local
livelihoods through promotion of sustainable forest and land management in hilly and mountainous
areas is also one of the priorities of MAF Strategic Plan (2014-2020).

(5) Country Ownership

The project and its components are highly consistent with the priority adaptation options/activities of
NAPA (2010), especially the priority project named “Building Resilience of Rural Livelihoods to Secure
National Food Security.” CBNRM and CF are strongly supported by the National Forest Sector Policy
and the Law on the General Regime of Forest as key approaches to the achievement of sustainable
forest management. GDFCIP intends to expand the CBNRM mechanism throughout the country as
proposed in the draft national action plan (the CBNRM roadmap).

(6) Efficiency and Effectiveness

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The proposed project aims to put the CBNRM mechanism in place in all the sucos in the 4
prioritized watersheds, which cover about 2,555 km2 (or 17% of total national land) or 110 villages (or
25% of total villages). It is cost effective as compared to other on-going projects supported by
international development partners. Local communities in such areas will continuously use the
CBNRM mechanism and arrangements to manage forests and sloping lands in a proper and
sustainable manner even after the end of the project. Thus, MAF/GDFCIP expects that the project
could reduce its financial burden for forest protection and land improvement in the target areas in the
future.

The project activities have been and will be tested, verified, and improved by the on-going JICA
project and the upcoming FAO TCP. The project will make best use of the experiences of the same
projects including lessons learned through the same to implement the project in an efficient and
effective manner.
C. Indicative financing / Cost information (max. 2 pages)
C.1. Financing by components
Please provide an estimate of the total cost per component and disaggregate by source of financing.
Indicative cost GCF financing Co-financing
(USD)
Component Output Amount Financial Type Amount Financial Name of
(USD) Instrument (USD) Instrument Institutions

Output 1:
Capacity
enhancemen
t for
3,900,000 2,800,000 Grant 1,100,000 Grant JICA
sustainable
protection
and adaptive
management
Output 2:
Improvemen
t of local
livelihoods
6,000,00
and 7,000,000 Grant 1,000,000 Grant JICA
0
reduction of
climate
change
vulnerability
Output 2:
Improvemen
t of local
livelihoods
and 125,000 0 Grant 125,000 Grant FAO
reduction of
climate
change
vulnerability
Output 3:
Developmen
t of enabling 2,950,000 950,000 Grant 2,000,000 Grant JICA
environment
for
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sustainable
land and
forest
managemen
t
Output 3:
Developmen
t of enabling
environment
for
125,000 0 Grant 125,000 Grant FAO
sustainable
land and
forest
managemen
t
M&E and
Project
200,000 200,000 Grant 0 Grant JICA
Managemen
t
M&E and
Project
400,000 0 Grant 400,000 Other GoTL
Managemen
t
Indicative total cost (USD) 14,700,000 9,950,000 4,750,000

For private sector proposal, provide an overview (diagram) of the proposed financing structure.
C.2. Justification of GCF Funding Request (300 words)
Although the project is expected to improve and strengthen the forest ecosystem services in the 4
prioritized watersheds, such as protection of sources of water, prevention of soil erosion and
landslides, conservation of biodiversity, provision of rural energy, and reduction of GHG emission,
monetary benefits to be generated by the project is limited. In fact, the focus of the project will be
placed more on poverty reduction, improvement of local livelihoods, and protection of forests. It is,
however, difficult to attract investment in the project from private sector.

The GoTL has strong commitments to the implementation of the project, making its financial
resources available as much as possible. Yet it may require more time for GoTL to secure the whole
budget of the project, while facing critical urgency for taking actions from now on. This situation leads
to applying for GCF, which could provide various opportunities to work for global issues. In the future
the GoTL may be able to secure the necessary budget to combat the issues of climate change and
deforestation, as the national economy develops.
If MAF/GDFCIP could access to GCF SAP fund for implementation of the project, it would be great
opportunity for MAF/GDFCIP to not only directly contribute to the reduction of GHG emission and
improvement of livelihood resilience of local communities, but also develop a model for sustainable
landscape management of important watersheds which have provided several types of environmental
services/benefits to local communities living in the downstream of the watersheds.
C.3. Exit Strategy and Sustainability (300 words)
The project will build the capacity in local stakeholders, such as village leaders, rural communities,
and officials of local government units (municipal administrative and sub-district offices), for climate
change mitigation and adaptation, particularly sustainable forest, lands, and watershed management.
The local stakeholders will protect and manage natural resources in a sustainable manner to cope with
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climate changes and climate-related hazards even after the end of the project with technical
assistance from MAF field officials, who will also be capacitated in the course of project
implementation.

MAF/GDFCIP with technical assistance of a JICA TA project will monitor the effectiveness of the
project and help local stakeholders manage natural resources in a proper and sustainable manner. In
fact, MAF/GDFCIP has experienced in doing the same activities (monitoring and assistance) in the on-
going JICA Project since 2015.
C.4 Stakeholders engagement in the project or programme (300 words)
The concept note was developed on the initiative of GDFCIP, Executing Entity (EE) of the project,
with technical assistance from JICA, Accredited Entity (AE) of the project. The roadmap developed by
GDFCIP is fully referred for the preparation of the concept note. The ideas and activities proposed and
suggested by GDFCIP were fully incorporated in the concept note.

NDA has been involved in the review and finalization of the concept note. Their ideas and
suggestions were effectively reflected to this concept note.

JICA has worked together with GDFCIP on the preparation of this concept note since the beginning.
It has a long experience in assisting GoTL since its independence, particularly in the forestry sector. It
is noted that JICA has implemented the CBNRM Project over the decade, which developed the
CBNRM mechanism and its standard operating procedures. Hence, JICA is considered as a right
organization in the right position to implement the project as AE.
FAO will be another counterpart for implementation of the project, particularly the activities relating
to CF. FAO has assisted MAF/GDFCIP in development of the Law on the General Regime of Forest
and revision of the national forest sector policy. It has recently drafted the national community forestry
strategy to promote CF in the country. As FAO has strong expertise and long experiences in the same
fields in other Asian countries, the partnership with FAO will ensure that CF-related activities could be
implemented and managed in a proper and effective manner.
D. Annexes

☒ ESS screening check list (Annex 1)

☐ Map indicating the location of the project/programme (as applicable)
☐ Evaluation Report of previous project (as applicable)
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Annex 1: Environmental and Social Screening Checklist

Part A: Risk Factors

The questions describe the “risk factors” of activities that would require additional assessments and
information. Any “Yes” response to the questions will render the proposal not eligible for the Simplified
Approval Process Pilot Scheme. Proposals with any of the risk factors may be considered under the regular
project approvals process instead.

Exclusion criteria YES NO

Will the activities involve associated facilities and require further
☐ ☒
due diligence of such associated facilities?
-
Will the activities involve trans-boundary impacts including those
that would require further due diligence and notification to affected ☐ ☒
states?
-
Will the activities adversely affect working conditions and health
and safety of workers or potentially employ vulnerable categories of ☐ ☒
workers including women and children?
-
Will the activities potentially generate hazardous waste and
pollutants including pesticides and contaminate lands that would
require further studies on management, minimization and control ☐ ☒
and compliance to the country and applicable international
environmental quality standards?
-
Will the activities involve the construction, maintenance, and
rehabilitation of critical infrastructure (like dams, water
☐ ☒
impoundments, coastal and river bank infrastructure) that would
require further technical assessment and safety studies?
-
Will the activities potentially involve resettlement and
dispossession, land acquisition, and economic displacement of ☐ ☒
persons and communities?
-
Will the activities be located in or in the vicinity of protected areas
and areas of ecological significance including critical habitats, key
☒ ☐
biodiversity areas and internationally recognized conservation
sites?
-
Will the activities affect indigenous peoples that would require
further due diligence, free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and ☐ ☒
documentation of development plans?
-
Will the activities be located in areas that are considered to have
archaeological (prehistoric), paleontological, historical, cultural,
☐ ☒
artistic, and religious values or contains features considered as
critical cultural heritage?
-
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Part B: Specific environmental and social risks and impacts

Assessment and Management of Environmental
YES NO TBD
and Social Risks and Impacts
Has the E&S risk category of the project been
☐ ☒
provided in the concept note?
Has the rationale for the categorization of the project
been provided in the relevant sections of the concept ☐ ☒
note?
Are there any additional environmental, health and
safety requirements under the national laws and
☐ ☒ ☐
regulations and relevant international treaties and
agreements?
In regards to question 1 and 2 in Part B, JICA will conduct detailed study for ESS in the process for
Funding proposal preparation.
Are the identification of risks and impacts based on
☒ ☐ ☐
recent or up-to-date information?
-
Labour and Working Conditions YES NO TBD
Will the activities potentially have impacts on the
working conditions, particularly the terms of
employment, worker’s organization, non-
☐ ☒ ☐
discrimination, equal opportunity, child labour, and
forced labour of direct, contracted and third-party
workers?
-
Will the activities pose occupational health and safety
☐ ☒ ☐
risks to workers including supply chain workers?
-
Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention YES NO TBD
Will the activities generate (1) emissions to air; (2)
discharges to water; (3) activity-related greenhouse
☐ ☒ ☐
gas (GHG) emissions, (4) noise and vibration; and (5)
wastes?
-
Will the activities utilize significant amount of natural
☐ ☒ ☐
resources including water and energy?
-
Will there be a need to develop detailed measures to
reduce pollution and promote sustainable use of ☐ ☒ ☐
resources?
-
Community Health, Safety, and Security YES NO TBD
Will the activities potentially generate risks and
impacts to the health and safety of the affected ☐ ☒ ☐
communities?
-
Will there be a need for an emergency preparedness
☐ ☒ ☐
and response plan that also outlines how the affected
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communities will be assisted in times of emergency?

-
Will there be risks posed by the security
arrangements and potential conflicts at the project ☐ ☒ ☐
site to the workers and affected community?
-
Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement YES NO TBD
Will the activities likely involve land acquisition and/or
☐ ☒ ☐
physical or economic displacement?
-
Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable
YES NO TBD
Management of Living Natural Resources
Will the activities potentially introduce invasive alien
species of flora and fauna affecting the biodiversity of ☐ ☒ ☐
the area?
-
Will the activities have potential impacts on or be
dependent on ecosystem services including
☒ ☐ ☐
production of living natural resources (eg.agriculture,
animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry)?
-
Indigenous Peoples YES NO TBD
Will the activities potentially have any indirect impacts
on indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, or ☒ ☐ ☐
vulnerable and marginalized groups?
-
Cultural Heritage YES NO TBD
Will the activities restrict access to the cultural
☒ ☐ ☐
heritage sites and properties?
-
Will there be a need to prepare a chance find
procedure in case of the discovery of cultural heritage ☐ ☒ ☐
assets?
-
Stakeholder engagement and grievance redress Yes NO TBD
Will the activities include a continuing stakeholder
engagement and a grievance redress mechanism
☒ ☐ ☐
which will be integrated into the
management/implementation plans?
-

Part C: Sign Off

Sign-off: Director General, Global Environment Department, JICA

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