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Biogas Gold Standard CDM Project - n/a Environment: Forestry, Energy & Environmental Services Nepal 2006 - 2007 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) |
Utilizing Biogas to Help Protect Nepal's Biodiversity
RATIONALEThe terai region of Nepal comprises an area of hills lying in the shadow of the Himalayas. Ranking among Asia's most ecologically significant habitats, its home to rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, sloth bears, river dolphins, and more than 550 bird species.
Around 6.7 million people live in the Nepal terai, and the population growth is higher than in the remainder of the country. About 61 percent of households rely on fuel wood for cooking, and 49 percent obtain their wood from nearby government-managed forests. Demand for fuel wood is in the range of 3 to 6 pounds per person per day, and there is evidence that wood collection is not sustainable. This leads inevitably to degradation of the forest and loss of species diversity. Degraded forests are vulnerable to encroachers, who are more likely to settle in a thinned-out forest.
An alternative source of fuel would improve the lives of terai residents and help preserve the forests and their wildlife.
OBJECTIVES
Since 2002, the World Wildlife Fund has been working to protect the terai in a project covering 75 percent of the remaining forests. WWF has proposed selling 7,500 biogas digesters to households located mostly in buffer-zone communities in and around Royal Bardia National Park. The units use primarily animal waste products to produce methane gas, which can be used for fuel instead of wood cut in surrounding forests.
Winrock has been asked to develop a biogas project that meets the Gold Standard of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM, part of the Kyoto Protocol, helps reduce emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide, and the Gold Standard is a best-practice methodology that delivers high-quality carbon credits of premium value.
ACTIVITIES
Winrock staff will conduct a pre-assessment of the project, including a field survey to prepare necessary documents (such as maps, photos, and reports on firewood consumption and savings). Winrock will consult with local stakeholders in the design phase (with users at field sites) and with national stakeholders after development of project design documents to meet requirements of the Gold Standard. A business plan will be prepared including a financial plan, activity and revenue cost, and identification of funding gaps. Further studies will assess environmental impacts and monitoring according to standard procedures as outlined in the Gold Standard methodology. Reports will be submitted providing results of all the above procedures.