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The role of GGEV (Guardie Giurate Ecologiche Volontarie) of the Forests Forever program, under the Payment of Environmental Services (PSA) in Costa Rica
Premise
The GGEV (Guardie Giurate Ecologiche Volontarie) of Modena Province operates with trained and certified members who are committed to guard and protect our environmental. Since 18. May 1992, it is a subscribed member of the Regional Register of Voluntary Organizations and it has gained recognition of the Ministry of Environment through the Federgev, Italy, and of the Department of Civil Protection. It has also received two awards of merit from the Interior Ministry for its part in Civil Protection, and has twice been presented with the merit of 'A Forest for Kyoto' with the endorsement of the President of the Republic, for its role in defending and safeguarding the environment..
The GGEV of Forests Forever in CR
The GGEV of the FpS is a participating member of the International Cooperation in Costa Rica since 1994. It is recognized within the highest institutional levels of the Costa Rican Government as well as by other notable organizations with international standing, like the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad. Working together with them, methodology has been developed for implementation within the reforestation projects (see attachments for more details). GGEV is accredited by the Italian Embassy (ref. Dr. Diego Ungaro, present Ambassador) in Costa Rica, and by the Embassy of Costa Rica in Rome (ref. Dr. Frederick Ortuņo, current Ambassador), from whom it received endorsement for its activities. The current Vice-President of the Costa Rican Republic, Dr. Alfio Piva, has been aware of all GGEV operations in Costa Rica since 1994 and has always been supportive. In 2008 the GGEV of FpS received an important recognition from the President of the Republic Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, for its achievements in Costa Rica, Since 2004, as a result of an official agreement signed with the body of MINAET (Ministry of Environment Costa Rica), formally called FONAFIFO (Fundo Nacional de FinanciamentoForestal), the GGEV participates in the PSA program of FONAFIFO, and coordinates between them and the Italian partners (i.e. Life-Gate Impattozero) projects of reforestation (induced natural forest regeneration) in areas which were previously used for other purposes like pasturage and land cultivation. Such areas were selected in both privately owned Reserves and in indigenous Reserve to establish a clear local reference in addition to the project validation data from institutional references. Apart from GGEV representatives, FpS involves its own expert Scientific Committee with specific expertise (biologists, agronomists, foresters, climatologists, etc.) in these operations.
PSA Projects
The PSA's concept in Costa foresees financial recognition to those who participate in projects by providing services that a regenerating natural forest (not plantations!) may require, i.e. re-establishing a high level of biodiversity, securing the maintenance of groundwater basins, restoring landscapes for their natural scenic beauty, the absorption of CO2 - the quota of which can be calculated in an active budget within 50 years; that is from the point in time when the committed area is no longer subject to human activity like cultivation, timber harvesting or using land for grazing, and it is ready to start the process of induced natural regeneration. We want to remember the international year dedicated to forests for its 'added values' i.e. those that the FpS considers to form an essential part of the reforestation projects such as combating soil erosion and desertification, and the fundamental role that they play in processes relating to climate change. Last but not least, there is a strong desire to provide an opportunity to local communities, which often live under poor conditions, to have an alternative to the destruction of their resources, by offering them the only chance for survival. For the purposes of certifications that is issued by FONAFIFO (CSA), calculations are carried out by FONAFIFO's forest engineers, who for this purpose, take into consideration ecosystem characteristics, climate and orography. The data is presented in the form of technical documentation that is attached to the PSA contract.
What is GGEV's specific contribution?
The role of GGEV is particularly relevant at various stages of project implementation. In the first phase of verification an inspection is carried out to establish that the available area has the necessary parameters that correspond to the Standards and Guidelines of FpS. The FpS participates in a site visit together with the FONAFIFO forest officials, the ministerial representatives of the respective Conservation Area involved and the representatives of indigenous associations, and at this point the projects are planned. To verify the necessary conditions (see Guidelines FPS), the local site managers of the forest regeneration area set up the perimeters of the defined areas. The data obtained is transferred to an areal map and to satellites which are equipped with GIS system or subsequent technologies. Following this exercise a contract is prepared and submitted to the investing partner for signature. By doing so, the GGEV in turn endorses the plans. At least once a year, as circumstances permit, the GGEV embarks on its mission to Costa Rica for the inspection of the projects. In the first year of verification, as in subsequent years, the GGEV together with Fonafifo officials, project site managers and the representatives of the Indigenous Territorial Associations and their "watch men" set out to check that the signed agreements are respected. To this end, the project area's territorial border footpath is traced using GPS equipment. It is verified that there are border paths (linderos e carriles) that could eventually serve as fire barriers. It is controlled that there are sufficient number of signs that mark out the areas and inform of the constraints placed on them by the PSA. Inevitably, the internal tracks within the constrained areas are followed up and controlled to ensure that there is no human activity taking place in these locations apart from those which are specified by the contract. The level of natural regeneration process is checked, there is the identification of the newly sprung up arborea species and secondary forest. Photographs are also taken that allow comparison of the degree of growth over time. At the end of the inspection visit (three or four working days), an on-site meeting is arranged with all parties involved. Eventual problems are discussed and recommendations are made, including new tree plantations in particularly stark areas. On return to Italy, a written report with accompanying maps and photographs are prepared and sent to partners (Life Gate - Impattozero).
The value of PSA
The areas under the PSA are entered into the appropriate official Register by FONAFIFO and become subject to certification in order to exclude the possibility that the same area would be used simultaneously for different projects (see attached map as an example). For consideration of operational values regarding the PSA projects, the following fundamental points must be underlined:
1) FONAFIFO is an internationally recognized Governmental Agency. In the last COP16 in Cancun, it presented elaborate proposals for the next REDD+ projects which are among the most forward looking, and reflect the experience gained alongside the PSA. FONAFIFO has high-level personnel and sufficient equipment for the tasks that they propose (see website www.fonafifo.com.) The current Chairman of FONAFIFO, who is also Deputy Minister of MINAET. FONAFIFO runs appropriate Certification Agencies, and as it has already been stated, the official records of the projects are subjected to regular checks.
2) The forest regeneration projects foresee the generation of an active balance sheet of calculations to show the amount of sequestered carbon for the specified period. For guarantee, the periods of regeneration are generally expected to be defined within the first 10 years. A climax, or rather the achievement of a forest equilibrium in which the forest absorbs and releases a substantial quantity of CO2 for this type of forest, is between 30 and 50 years, that is much longer than the period under consideration for the project. In any case, an undertaking is given regarding the constrained areas, to ensure that it would go well beyond the period under consideration and so that it is particularly useful for the calculation purposes of total CO2 sequestered. The calculations, in any case, already foresee a margin for losses that may be due to natural causes such as fire in a limited scale (though this is unlikely, given that the forestall ecosystem typology in which the project is realized is an evergreen rainforest, hence it dramatically reduces the likelihood of any consistent damage following such events).
3) The 'eternal' conservation of sequestered CO2 is not within the scope of the PSA projects due to unlikely and realistically impractical procedures of dead tree burial to enable their fossilization. In any case, a dead tree that is buried would eventually release CO2 within a short period of time given the rapid degradation of any organic matter in the tropical environment, due to abundance of soil organisms.
4) An ample bibliography affirms the worthiness of reforestation / afforestation projects to allow CO2 sequestration which is otherwise expected and officially requested in the Kyoto Protocol to reduce atmospheric carbon pollution quotas.
