Name of Organization or Individual

Country

Fundación Jatun Sacha

Ecuador

World Parks Endowment, Inc.

U.S.A.

Item

Organization

Name of organization (original language)

or

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

Fundación Jatun Sacha

Name of organization (English)

Acronym (original language)

Acronym (English)

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Project development, monitoring

Street

Avenida Rio Coca 1734

City

Quito

State

Post code

Country

Ecuador

Telephone

593-2-441-592

Fax

593-2-441-592

E-mail

World Wide Web-URL address

Administrative Officer Responsible for the Project

Surname

McComb

First name, middle name

Michael

Job title

Vice President

Direct telephone

593-2-441-592

Direct fax

593-2-441-592

Direct e-mail

Contact Person for AIJ Activities (if different from the Administrative Officer)

Surname

First name, middle name

Job title

Direct telephone

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Organization

Name of organization (original language)

or

Name of individual if unaffiliated with any organization

World Parks Endowment, Inc.

Name of organization (English)

(same as above)

Acronym (original language)

Acronym (English)

Department

Function(s) within the AIJ project activities

Street

1400 16th Street, NW, #200

City

Washington

State

District of Columbia

Post code

20036

Country

U.S.A.

Telephone

202-939-3808

Fax

202-328-5002

E-mail

worldparks@juno.com

World Wide Web-URL address

Administrative Officer Responsible for the Project

Surname

Swift

First name, middle name

Byron

Job title

Executive Director

Direct telephone

202-939-3808

Direct fax

202-939-3868

Direct e-mail

Contact Person for AIJ Activities (if different from the Administrative Officer)

Surname

Dansberger

Diana

Job title

Direct telephone

202-939-3247

Direct fax

Direct e-mail

Item

Type of Project

Sector(s)

Land-use change and forestry

Primary activity(ies)

Forest preservation

Project Location

Country

Ecuador

Exact location (city, state, region)

Montañas de Mache, Esmeraldas Province

Key Dates and Current Stage of Project

Project starting date (month/year)

To be determined.

Project ending date (month/year)

To be determined.

Project lifetime (years)

30

Current stage of project

Mutually agreed

General Project Description and Technical Data

The project will preserve 2,000 hectares (ha) of tropical forest in the Montañas de Mache in the Esmeraldas province of northwestern Ecuador. This will be accomplished through land purchase, incorporation into the newly created Bilsa Biological Reserve, and subsequent management by the Fundación Jatun Sacha, in cooperation with the government and other private entities.

Esmeraldas province has undergone heavy deforestation, with more than 99% of the lowland wet forest already cleared in the region. This area represents the last significant opportunity to conserve Pacific slope wet forests, as the 12,000 ha of forest remaining at Bilsa constitute the majority of the remaining unprotected forest on the Pacific Slope. Because of the significant biodiversity in the area, this ecosystem has been classified as one of the world’s top three hotspots for immediate conservation action.

Methodology for Calculating Cost Data

Information on the methodology for calculating project development costs is not yet available.

Costs for implementing the project include the cost per hectare (US$125) to purchase the land plus legal and titling costs (12% of purchase cost per hectare). The developer plans to purchase 1,000 acres each year for the first two years of the project, therefore total purchase costs for each of these years is equal to US$140,000 (= 1,000 ha * US$125/ha * 1.12% legal and titling fees). In addition, the project developer plans to establish an endowment in the third year of the project at a cost of US$100,000.

Item

Party(ies) that will be monitoring project activities

Jatun Sacha Foundation

Party(ies) that will be externally verifying project results

Corporación de Conservación y Desarrollo or Biosfera (not yet confirmed)

Date when the monitoring plan became (or will become) operational (month/year)

This information is not yet available.

Types of data that will be collected

Forest quality and extent

Description of Monitoring and Verification Activities and Schedule for Implementation

Monitoring will occur annually and consist of recording any reductions in forest area. Annual reports will describe any such loss and document forest quality using photographic mapping. In addition, carbon sequestered per unit area will be evaluated every ten years.

The project developer will allow external verification of greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration by the USIJI Secretariat, its designees, or another agreed upon party. One potential method to verify the continued protection of carbon stocks would be through satellite photography, which can capture any change in the size of the forested area. The project developer hopes to obtain satellite photos documenting the reference scenario, against which future images can be referenced.

Item

Please check one of the following.

This report is a first report.

or

This report is an intermediate report.

or

This report is a final report.

Please check one of the following:

This report is a joint report. Letter(s) of approval of this report from the designated national authority of the other Party(ies) involved in the activity is(are) attached in Section J, Annex.

or

This report is a separate report.

Additional comments (if any):

None.

Compatibility with Economic Development and Socioeconomic and Environmental Priorities

Jorge Barba González, Executive Director of the Ecuadorian Institute of Forestry, Natural Areas, and Wildlife (INEFAN), states that Ecuador strongly supports the project because it "contributes to national priorities in conservation and sustainable development" and "is consistent with existing Ecuadorian investment laws and regulations." INEFAN has declared the Mache-Chindul Mountains a protected area, indicating the high national priority to conserve this vanishing ecosystem.

Non-Greenhouse-Gas Environmental Impacts of the Project

The primary non-GHG environmental benefit of the project is the associated conservation of biological diversity. The project site has been identified as one of the most important in the world for biodiversity and endemism. In addition, the site is the last large unprotected area of coastal wet forest in Ecuador.

Social/Cultural Impacts of the Project

The establishment of the reserve and research station is expected to provide environmental education to the surrounding communities, thereby enhancing their potential contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Economic Impacts of the Project

The project will have positive economic impacts on the local community by providing a more reliable and sustainable basis of livelihood through employment at the reserve and through environmental research and education programs. Jatun Sacha employs several dozen local people at its more established research site in eastern Ecuador.

A tree nursery project will also contribute to reforestation and local production of fruit trees.

Item

Site Designation

Site number (order of presentation in this report)

1 of 1

Site name/designation

Bilsa Biological Reserve

Project sector

Land-use change and forestry

Reference Scenario

Primary activity(ies)

Deforestation of tropical forest for timber, agricultural cultivation, and cattle pasture

Has the reference scenario changed since the last report? (If yes, explain any changes below.)

Yes

No

This is the first project report.

In the reference scenario, the 2,000 ha project area is expected to be deforested within three years. The area is assumed to first undergo logging, followed by clearing and conversion. Based on current practices in the region, three-quarters of the area is expected to be converted to marginal cropland and the remainder to pasture.

Predicted Project Scenario

Primary activity(ies)

Forest preservation

The project is anticipated to preserve the 2,000 ha of tropical forest area through its purchase and incorporation into the newly created Bilsa Reserve. The area will be managed by the Fundación Jatun Sacha, in cooperation with the government and other private entities. Carbon stocks on the project area are expected to remain stable over the project lifetime.

Actual Project

Primary activity(ies)

This information is not yet available.

This information is not yet available.

GHG Emission/Sequestration Calculation Methodology

Site number

1 of 1

Project sector

Land-use change and forestry

Description of Calculation Methodology for the Reference Scenario

Total carbon emissions in the reference scenario are projected to be equal to the amount of carbon currently stored on the 2,000 ha minus the amount of carbon contained in the harvested timber and the amount of carbon retained in soil and vegetation following deforestation.

Initial carbon stocks are estimated to be 284.64 t C/ha, which includes aboveground live vegetation (124.06 t C/ha), aboveground woody debris and litter (10.59 t C/ha), and belowground biomass and soil carbon (150.00 t C/ha). Logging is assumed to remove 21% of the aboveground tree biomass stocks, which are estimated to be 112.06 t C/ha. Thus, logging removes approximately 23.53 t C/ha (= 112.06 t C/ha * 0.21). Based on this estimate, aboveground carbon stocks at the site after logging are estimated to be 111.12 t C/ha (= 124.06 t C/ha + 10.59 t C/ha - 23.53 t C/ha). The wood removed during logging is assumed to be used for durable products, so this carbon is not emitted.

The amount of carbon retained by soil and vegetation following deforestation depends on the eventual end use of the land. In the calculations, this accounting is done by applying fractions to above- and belowground carbon stocks that represent the portions that are lost due to clearing. On the lands converted to cropland (75% of the area), 95% of the total aboveground carbon stocks and 43% of the belowground carbon stocks are assumed to be emitted as CO₂. On the lands converted to pasture (25% of the area), 95% of the total aboveground carbon stocks and 15% of the belowground carbon stocks are assumed to be emitted as CO₂. This results in a per hectare carbon loss estimate of 159.56 t C/ha.

Therefore, total carbon emitted in the reference scenario is projected to be equal to approximately 319,120 t C (=159.56 t C/ha * 2,000 ha). To convert to CO₂, this estimate is multiplied by the ratio of 44 t CO₂/12 t C, which yields 1,170,107 t CO₂. The project developer has estimated that under the reference scenario, the 2,000 ha site would be deforested over a three year period. To calculate annual reference scenario emissions, emissions are divided by three years, which yields annual emissions of 390,036 t CO₂/yr.

Description of Calculation Methodology for the Project Scenario

Under the project scenario, the 2,000 ha area of forest is expected to be preserved. Since carbon stocks on the project area are expected to remain stable, annual project scenario emissions are estimated to be zero over the lifetime of the project.

Description of Calculation Methodology for the Actual Project

This information is not yet available.

Indirect or Secondary GHG Impacts (Positive and Negative)

None anticipated.

Factors That Could Cause the Future Loss or Reversal of GHG Benefits

The principal threat that would result in the reversal of project GHG benefits is loss of forest cover in the reserve as a result of encroachment by farming and ranching.

Strategy for Reducing the Risk of Future Loss or Reversal of GHG Benefits

A management fund will be established to add to the resources available to the project, though the project developer expects that the area will be self-sustaining through research and education fees and controlled visitation. Fundación Jatun Sacha, which has a good record of protection at its other principal site, will be responsible primarily for preventing deterioration of the preserve.

Current or Planned Activities to Obtain Additional Funding

Funding is being sought from foundations, individuals, and electric utilities.

Contribution to Capacity Building and Technology Transfer

This information is not yet available.

Recent Project Developments

The Bilsa Reserve has been successfully fund-raising from non-AIJ sources (i.e. charitable donations). As a result, the reserve size has reached 2,500 ha of the planned 5,000 ha total.

Technical Difficulties and Other Obstacles Encountered

This information is not yet available.

Additional Information

Current conservation measures at the Bilsa Reserve include forestry, extension, tree nursery development, environmental education, community extension, and ongoing scientific research in collaboration with several universities.

Country/Project Title

Name, Title, and Government Agency of the Designated National Authority

Date of Approval (day/month/year)

Ecuador/Bilsa Biological Reserve

Ximena Martinez de Perez, Minister, Subsecretary of International Organizations, Ministry of International Relations

13 December 1996