Designing National Forest Monitoring Program to support for REDD+ implementation

1. Designing National Forest Monitoring Program to support for REDD+ implementation Experience and Future Direction Pham Manh Cuong (Ph.D.) Director of Vietnam REDD+ Office National REDD+ Steering Committee

2. 1. Brief introduction on forest dynamics in Vietnam

3. Vietnam at glance Located in SEA Total land mass: 33 million Ha, of which ¾ are hills& mountains Forestland: 16.24 million ha (49%); Forest coverage in 2011: 39.7% land mass Population in 2010: 87 mill, of which 70% lived in rural areas and livelihoods rely on agricultural cultivation

4. Change in national forest coverage (1943-2011)

5. Dynamics of forest cover change in Vietnam Central High Land, South East Regions Nothern Mountain Region South central Region

6. Major driving forces behind forest changes • Major causes of (gross) deforestation • Conversion of forests into other land uses • Unsustainable logging • Infrastructural development • Insufficient capacity in forest management, lack of law enforcement • Major causes of degradation • Unsustainable logging (either legal and illegal) • Reasons of forest expansion • Restricted timber harvest and raw timber export • Forest allocation, investment of Gov (progs 327, 661, 147)and private entities in reforestation • Increase in agricultural productivity (…) • Poverty alleviation and livelihood alternatives • Market demand & improvement in market accessibility

7. 2. Preparation for REDD+ implementation in Vietnam

8. Roadmap of REDD+ implementation UNFCCC COP16 Decision: REDD+ is implemented in phases Implementation of national policies, further capacity-building ; results-based demonstration activities Development of national strategies/ action plans, policies and measures, and capacity-building Results-based actions) – fully MRVed REDD+ readiness preparation REDD+ implementation

9. What the REDD+ countries requested to do? Cancun Agreement: 1. A robust and transparent national forest monitoring system for the monitoring and reporting of the activities in accordance with national circumstances, and with the provisions contained in decision 4/CP.15, and with any further elaboration of those provisions agreed by the Conference of the Parties; 2. A national forest reference emission level (REL) and/or forest reference level (FRL); 3. A system for providing information on how the safeguards are being addressed and respected throughout the implementation of the activities

10. What the REDD+ countries requested to do? COP15 Decision (4/CP.15): To establish, according to national circumstances and capabilities, robust and transparent NFM systems and, if appropriate, sub-national systems as part of NMSs that: Use a combination of remote sensing and ground-based forest carbon inventory approaches for estimating, as appropriate, anthropogenic forest-related GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks, forest carbon stocks and forest area changes; Provide estimates that are transparent, consistent, as far as possible accurate, and that reduce uncertainties, taking into account national capabilities and capacities; Are transparent and their results are available and suitable for review as agreed by the Conference of the Parties;

11. Reporting requirements • Full NGHGI and National Communication (NC) every 4 years; • Updated report: every 2 years

12. Strategic point of view on REDD+ • REDD+ is one of important components of the NSCC • NRAP is approved in June 2012: step-wise, consistent with national circumstances, capacities and capabilities and the level of support received; to comply with UNFCCC principles/guidance and internationally signed agreements • Well-coordinated and managed by the Gov; promote full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, particularly the local forest owners and communities,

13. What have been preparing? • Improved institutional arrangement for REDD+ implementation • Awareness raising • Development of interim national REL/FRL • Development of MRV framework document, including PFM • Strengthening the NFIM • Designing roadmap for safeguards implementation

14. It is very crucial for development of an effective and efficient institutional arrangement! National REDD+ Steering Committee Policy-making level Management and coordinating level Vietnam REDD+ Office Independent Monitoring/Compliances Board National REDD+ Network Technical supporting entities REDD+ Technical Working Group Governance Sub-TWG BDS Sub-TWG Other Sub-TWGs MRV Sub-TWG Provincial REDD+ Steering Committee District REDD+ Taskforce Implementation level Forest managers and local communities/other stakeholders

15. Development of transparent & effective MRV system Shall be consistent with • Decision 4/CP.15 (NFMS & use of IPCC GPG) • Decision 2/CP.16 (NFMS and REL/RL) • Decision 2/CP.17 (Modalities for development of national Information System on safeguards and REL/RL)

16. Key REDD+ Readiness Related Projects • UN-REDD Vietnam Program Phase 1 • REDD Readiness (R-PP) funded by FCPF • BMU-funded “Exploring mechanisms to promote high biodiversity conservation through REDD+” • BMU-funded “Advancing understanding on C stock enhancement” • UN-REDD Vietnam Program Phase 2: two parts (TA & provision of PI) • USAID “Low emissions from Asian Forests – LEAF”: target of 16 mill CO2e • USAID-funded “Vietnam Forests and Delta Program: 2012-2017” • EU/FAO “Climate Smart Agriculture” • JICA-funded “Dien Bien REDD+ Pilot Project” • GIZ – AusAID “Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems in the Mekong River Delta” • Vietnamese-German Forestry Prog: Support for SFEs reform and SFM

18. 3. NFI and application of its results for REDD+ Preparation in Vietnam

19. Forest Monitoring during 1960 – 1980s • During 1960 – 1989: several sub-national forest inventory and monitoring programs have been conducted but none of national comprehensive forest monitoring program was carried out; • 1960s – 1970s: application of aerial photographs on establishment of forest cover maps and forest planning maps for some State Forest Enterprises (SFE) in the North. Forest yielding equations have been developed for natural forest types; • 1980 – 1990: sub-national forest mapping programs using of satellite images from former Soviet Union and US (Landsat) • Technical capacity for NFM was built under support of UNDP, FAO (VIE 79/014) and Germany;

20. Forest Monitoring from 1990 -2000 • National Forest Inventory and Monitoring Program NFI) has been formally started in 1991 • 1991 – 1995 (1st cycle of the NFI):using a combination of Landsat TM imagery (wall-to-wall) + ground surveys + 3,800 sample plots to establish forest cover maps at provincial levels 1/250,000 for the entire country; • 1996 – 2000 (2nd cycle of the NFI): SPOT 1, 2, 3 + ground surveys + 3,800 sample plots to make forest cover maps at provincial levels 1/100,000 for the entire country; • Financial resources: Government budget

21. Forest Monitoring from 2001 -2010 • 2001-2005 (3rd cycle): use of Landsat ETM + ground surveys + 4,200 sample plots to make forest cover maps at provincial levels 1/100,000 for the entire country; Application of very HR images (SPOT 5, IKONOS, QuickBird) to establish forest maps at scale 1/10,000 and forest management planning for SFEs; • 2006-2010 (4thcycle): use of SPOT 5 + ground surveys + 2,100 sample plots to make forest cover maps: • Commune level: 1/10,000 (testing for 1000 communes) • District level: 1/25,000 • Provincial level: 1/50,00 – 1/100,000 • Data was annually updated and reported by Forest Protection Department with about 11,000 forest rangers; • All forest cover maps and field measurement data from sample plots are digitially inputted with a common map projection and a harmonized classification system in 2012; data improvement and validation are in process;

22. Identification of major driving forces behind the forest changes • Five time snapshorts: 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 with a harmonized classification system and in a single map projection

26. Analyses of forest changes and major driving forces 1990, 1995 2000, 2005 2010 1990 - 1995 1996 - 2000 2001- 2005 2006 - 2010 Forest cover maps Field measurement data Changes in forest status Forest change Matrices Forest changes (quality & quantity) 26

27. How forest area changes are detected and calculated? Forest Type in the year 2000 Category of Non Forest Category of Forest Deforestation Forest enhancement/ regrowth Category of Forest Forest degradation Forest Type in the year 1990 Reforestation Category of Non Forest

28. Designing the MRV Framework National REDD+ Information System National Forest Monitoring System Monitoring of Forest resources, REDD+ implementation Information on safeguards LMS EF (NFI) GHG-I M M(RV)

30. Generation of Activity Data (AD) • Policy: Implementation of NFI is mandated by Law on Forest Protection and Development in every 5 years, and funded by Government budget • Method: Use IPCC guidance and guidelines, as adopted or encouraged by the Conference of the Parties; Longstanding experience in using a combination of remote sensing and ground-based inventory & monitoring; Tier 2++ • Improving current NFI Program: is currently improved with the support from FAO-Finland forestry partnership Prog, UN-REDD VN. GoV funded for piloting in two REDD+ provinces (US$ 2.5 mill.); nation-wide implementation: 2013-2015

31. Estimation of Emission Factor (EF) • National Carbon Inventory (NCI) and NFI • Development of Destructive measurement for Allometric Equations (~June/2012); AE Training workshop in Hanoi from 19-22 June 2012 (Vietnam and Indonesia);

32. REDD+ Steering Provision of guidance Committee • Set technical standards Coordination Unit • Commissioning internal validation • Ensure information flow and access Responsible VNFOREST (MARD), VNFOREST (MARD), Research institutes NOCCOP (MONRE) agencies: FSIV, VFU, FIPI, VAAS… GDLA (MONRE) GDLA (MONRE) Allometric National Carbon Land monitoring Functions: equations GHG - I compilation Inventory through RS development Allometric equations REDD+ emissions Inventory data Outputs: Conversion/ AD and removals Expansion Factors EF

33. Monitoring • Principles • Participatory monitoring from local to central level • PFC is legalized by Law on FPD (Article 32) • Independent Monitoring Board (UN-REDD VN Phase 2 • Ensuring results-based actions • Not necessarily for accounting carbon • Benefit distribution • Parameters for monitoring & Frequency • Various … (e.g., area of protected/planted forests, quality of forests, rate of deforestation, ect.); Technical manual is produced • Should be simple and practical, close linkages with result-based indicators • MARD issued the Circular No. 20 /2012/TT-BNNPTNT to regulate the procedures for assessing the results of PFES before payment. • Development of FORMIS: Finland assistance

34. Participatory Forest Monitoring

35. Estimation of stock and change (M Ct) AD EF (M Ct)

36. Change in forest carbon stock 1990-2010

37. Development of interim REL/FRL at national and sub-national levels (Thousand Ct) National North South Central (Thousand Ct) • REL/RL in National scale • Closely related with national • strategy • Difficult to extrapolate forest • change trends associated • with driving forces • REL/RL in Sub-national scale • Closely related with regional • strategy and driving forces • Easy to extrapolate forest • change trends associated • with driving forces

38. 4. Some experience and future direction

39. Key findings • The NFI is mandaded by the law and budget is provided by Government; • Instutitional arrangement of the NFI: all activities were conducted by Forest Inventory and Planning Insititute (FIPI); a lack of participation of local stakeholders; • Method of satellite image interpretation: mainly visual interpretation; Data quality was not consistent and not fully satisfied the decision-makers; • The NFI was significantly improved from the 1st – 4th cycle but did not provide timely for policy formulation processes at national level, and sufficient data for forest management at local levels; • Mainly used for detecting the changes in forest areas and timber volume, not for carbon stock changes in all carbon pools;

40. Future Direction • Re-design the NFI to meet with multiple purposes, including FES, REDD+, biodiversity compensation policies under support of the FAO-Finland Forestry Partnership Prog; • Promote participation of relevant stakeholders in the forest monitoring activities; • Improve realiability and cost-effectiveness • 2011-2012: Piloting improved methods and organizational matters in 2 provinces (US$ 2.5 million); • 2013-2015: implementation for whole country; • Continue to improve for the period from 2016-2020;

41. Some improvements • Forest quantity: still using a combination of RS and field surveys; application of both digital image classification and visual interpretation; • Forest quality: re-designing sample plots – number and layout (both permanent and temporal); • Collection of data for estimation of C-stocks and changes; development of allometric equations: • Natural forest: forest type • Forest plantation: species • Frequency: 5 year, but consideration of using medium resolution imagery (e.g., DMCii) for detecting big changes in between; • Data management: Establishment of Forest Information and Monitoring System (FORMIS) with support of Finland (about US$10 million in 2 phases); • Institutional arrangement: both national technical agencies, local authorities and stakeholders (forest owners/managers)

42. Establishment of forest management profile for every owner/manager Rich F of Mr. B Rich F. of Mr. A Mr. A Mr. B Rich Forest Bareland of Mr. B Rich F. of Mr. C bareland Mr. C Mr. D bareland of Mr. D bareland of Mr. C Forest tenure data Forest map (NFIM) Forest management profile

43. Participatory Forest Monitoring

44. Conclusions • In Vietnam, the NFI it has been conducted quite long time on regular basis; • Use of a combination of field surveys and RS imagery is indispensable; • Training/capacity building and institutional arrangement are essential but time-consuming and costly; • Participation of local stakeholders in the NFIM is mandated but their capacities and to which extend they could participate in to ensure the robustness, consistency and reliability of the being collected data; • Designing a multiple purpose, robust and transparent NFIM is essential but not easy; data reporting and management is crucial; • The NFI is mandated by the Law and is nationally implemented to ensure the sustainability and financial resources for its implementation;

45. Some useful information sources • UNFCCC REDD Web Platform http://unfccc.int/methods_science/redd/items/4531.php • IPCC Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gpglulucf/gpglulucf.html • Global Observation of Forests and Land Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) http://www.gofcgold.wur.nl/sites/background.php • CIFOR Forests and Climate Change http://www.forestsclimatechange.org/

46. Thank you for your kind attention!