The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

Encroachment by Palm Oil PlantationsThe principal illegal threat to the project’s climate andbiodiversity benefits is continued encroachment by the oil palmplantation inside the Project Zone to the north of the ProjectArea. The plantation has already expanded its operations beyondauthorized boundaries, destroying valuable forest habitat.Moreover, the plantation’s drainage canals threaten nearby peatdeposits inside the Project Area.Due to additionality requirements of REDD projects, therelationship between project developers and palm oilconcessionaires is necessarily adversarial at projectcommencement. Upon project implementation, however, therelationship must become collaborative to avoid leakage. Projectproponents intend to engage the palm oil company with a seriesof steps designed to defuse this threat. First, a road will be builtbetween the plantation and the Project Area to prevent furtherencroachment and to serve as a fire break. Second, an effort willbe made to work with the plantation owners to design adjacentdrainage canals to prevent incidental impacts to Project Areacarbon deposits. In exchange, project proponents will work withplantation owners to identify and acquire viable non-­‐peat landthat has already been deforested for additional plantations.Illegal LoggingThere is a history of illegal logging inside the Project Area, andsome indication that logging in the southern part of Project Areaand extending into Tanjung Puting National Park may be ongoing.An initial social survey of Project Zone communities indicates thatthis threat does not arise from within the Project Zone, but ratherfrom outside communities that have no legal or traditional stakein Project Area forests.To mitigate this threat, project proponents will establish acomprehensive network of guard towers and patrols to ensurethe territorial integrity of the Project Area and prevent access byloggers. This project activity is described in greater detail underSection G3.2, above.Resource Use Surrounding CommunitiesAlthough minor in comparison to the threat posed by both legaland illegal palm oil plantations, the surrounding communities doplace some pressure on the physical integrity of the Rimba RayaReserve. Anecdotal evidence suggests that villagers engage inlimited hunting and fishing inside the Project Area, occasionallylog trees for timber, and cut down forest to expand arable land.Since 2003, World Education has been working with farmersaround TPNP to achieve food security and alleviate pressure onproximate forest land. In 2005, these efforts expanded into theSeruyan, beginning with the introduction of rice blockmanagement techniques to greatly reduce the impact of croppests in four villages on the east side of TNTP. Five Seruyanvillages (Tanjung Hanao, Ulak Batu, Palingkao, Buang, Muara Dua)are currently participating in a program intended to yield riceself-­‐sufficiency and diversify crops by introducing agroforestry.Where viable, WE has sought to introduce community gardensand aquaculture.Under the auspices of the Rimba Raya project, this program willbe expanded and extended to every village in the Project Zone.Beyond that, project proponents have designed a slate of socio-­‐206