Final Report. The development of a carbon off-set system for the benefit of the. Bushbuckridge Traditional Health. Pract
Final Report The development
of a carbon off-set system for the benefit of the
Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners’ MEDICINAL PLANT CULTIVATION
SUBMITTED TO: Merck Pharmaceuticals International Germany c/o UNESCO Division of Science, Human Rights
February 2011
INDEX INTRODUCTION
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PROCESS TO DATE
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Completion of Feasibility Studies
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REPORTS RECEIVED FROM SERVICE PROVIDERS
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Voluntary Carbon Off-set Programme (Final Report) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROGRAMME ROLL-OUT CONCLUSION
2 2 5 6
Replanting of Community Resource Areas INTRODUCTION CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS TO THE FUTURE OF THIS PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN CONCLUSION
7 7 8 8 9
FEASIBLITY STUDY CONCLUSIONS
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COMBINED PROJECT OUTLINE
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ACRONYMS BCP BRCNR CBTE CEO EXCO GSPC K2C K2C BR MTPA MDG NGO PPP SANParks SAWC SUNRAE THP’s THP’s of BBR TK ToR Wits University WRF
Bio cultural Protocol Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve Community Based Tourism Enterprise Chief Executive Officer Executive Committee Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Kruger to Canyons Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency Millennium Development Goals Non-Governmental Organisation Private Public Partnership South African National Parks Southern African Wildlife College Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and the Environment Traditional Health Practitioners Traditional Health Practitioners of Bushbuckridge Traditional Knowledge Terms of Reference University of the Witwatersrand (now named the University of Johannesburg) Wits Rural Facilitaty [linked to University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg)]
Final Report 2011 Introduction The Kruger to Canyons (K2C)Biosphere advocates the reconciliation of biodiversity conservation with sustainable development within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MaB) programme. The development of a Voluntary Carbon Offset System for the benefit of the Traditional Healers demonstrates an integrated approach to address all the principles of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program by capitalizing on a number of the great features of the region in conjunction with developments in the Convention of Biological (CBD) discussions. The CBD, with its main objectives of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable benefit sharing thereof paved the way to develop bio-cultural protocols. This K2C Bio-cultural project was initiated in early 2009 in partnership with an environmental and legal right’s -based NGO Natural Justice. The following steps have successfully been completed:
Data Surveys were conducted in each of the 3 biosphere zones to investigate potential resource best suited for implementation of the proposed ABS & Protocol development. Traditional Healers and the collection of Medicinal plants was finally selected and the priority resource to focus on initially. Thereafter a series of meetings were held with the Traditional Healers during which the following achievements resulted: The healers formed themselves into a formal and unified body and selected an EXCO with representative CEO, Secretary etc. The body elected to call themselves the Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners. THP’s were given the opportunity to voice issues, concerns and obstacles in the daily functioning of the roles in society. These have all been taken note of and either addressed via the establishment of the project or identified as potential projects for future implementation. The THP’s were presented on steps and requirements to enable them access to the State Forests in the escarpment region, previously believed to be inaccessible to them. The THP’s were presented on the importance of and methods of sustainable harvesting practices. THP’s were made aware of their legal rights as regards the protection of their Traditional Knowledge (TK) and the new Bio-prospecting laws. The THP’s were assisted in drawing up a Bio-cultural Protocol to outline who they are, what their role in the community is, what are their concerns, and what is required when needing to initiate interaction with them as regards their Traditional Knowledge together with potential remuneration options that would be required.
At present, the Bio-cultural Protocol has been completed, reviewed and accepted by the THP EXCO as well as the larger group of Healers and full acceptance of the final protocol has been agreed upon. Subsequently, Natural Justice has funded the printing of both the final Bio-cultural Protocol – printed in the 3 main languages of the region – as well as the printing of the Lesson’s Learnt Document outlining the process and steps undertaken through the development thereof. Following the completion of this stage of the project, communications were received from UNESCO Germany, outlining the potential of funding for a suitable project. This desire to support and the offer of funds from Germany, has come about as a result of the official partnership between K2C Biopshere and the Rhön Biosphere in Germany (of which an MoU was signed by both biosphere reserves at a UNESCO side event during COP 9 at the ICB in Bonn 2008.
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Final Report 2011 The opportunity offered through this presentation of funding has allowed for K2C to implement Phase II of this project. Phase II of the project will focus on increasing TH’s access to biological plant resources by establishing medicinal plant nurseries and replanting of the species that were over-exploited in identified resource areas. These activities can be sustained by contributions received from responsible tourists visiting the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region’s Game lodges in response to the carbon produced during their stay within the region.1 Thus this project has been divided into two parts: 1. The development of a Voluntary Carbon Off-Set Programme (which in turn will fund the implementation of a consecutive project focusing n the sequestration of carbon) 2. The replanting of communal resource areas with Medicinal Plants (identified as an initial option to focus on carbon sequestration). It is the initiation of Phase II described above that the two Feasibility Studies are aiming to achieve.
Process to Date Completion of Feasibility Studies Following on from Interim Reports # 1 & 2, the Final report of the development of the voluntary Carbon Off-set programme was received and included in the Interim Report # 2 – submitted in December 2010. This final report will include the findings from the final report for the Medicinal Resource re-planting Feasibility Study received at the end of December 2010, as well as a final status that combines all findings from both Feasibility Studies into a single report.
Reports received from Service Providers Voluntary Carbon Off-set Programme (Final Report) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposal to launch a community based carbon trading programme in the K2C Biosphere fits neatly with the biosphere concept and the need for visible examples of sustainable development in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
The programme’s strength is that it has pre-identified buyers in the form of lodge guests, localised off-set projects and localised management. As such the programme should avoid the transactions costs that have plagued the global carbon trading regime.
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The core and buffer zones of the K2C, as well as large sectors of the transition zone are highly populated with tourism facilities thus creating a large source base for the carbon off-set programme. This would also potentially include visitors to the Kruger National Park, who are estimated to number around 1 ½ million visitors per year in this reserve alone.
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The proposed programme is well-timed in terms of recent carbon market developments and the growing recognition of the need for projects that combine greenhouse gas mitigation and local poverty alleviation benefits.
There is growing disillusion with the bureaucratic burden that accompanies CDM carbon trading projects and transaction costs and associated barriers that this creates. This situation creates heightened demand for alternative carbon trading models, and particularly models that contribute to human development.
Lodges located in the K2C Biosphere expressed interest in participating in the proposed programme, although many also articulated reticence as to how the programme would work and add value to their hospitality offering.
There are no registered VER or CER projects in the Biosphere, although some national programmes of action may become active in the region. Birdlife South Africa, the Greenleaf Certification Programme (Wilderness Foundation) and Nourish NPO had all mooted the idea of a carbon off-set programme. Birdlife SA have developed a flyer and nursery for off-sets but had not commenced trades.
The proposed programme would have to be accompanied by extensive awareness raising and marketing. Game wardens and tour guides operating at lodges would have to be informed about the programme and how it contributed to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The programme could operate at a variety of scales, and is not dependent on large-scale uptake from the lodges or tourists for commencement.
There is scope for a combined scheme with leading conservation and tourism bodies including Birdlife SA, Nourish (NPO) and the Wilderness Foundation, but this would require standardised carbon accounting and use of the same carbon language.
While the programme will not, in its initial phase, seek to register with the various carbon market certification standards, institutional rigour and accounting transparency remain important components of a successful programme. The credibility of a community carbon trading programme would require the keeping of an off-set registry. Off-sets in the registry would, in the initial phase, accrue to the tourists off-setting and not to the lodges.
Based on assumptions described in this document, the typical tourist in the Lowveld region would be responsible for 36kg of CO2 per night in lieu of their electricity consumption, and 50kg of CO2 emissions for their road travel per day.
Priced at R150 per tCO2 each tourist would be given the option of paying R12.91 per night for their carbon off-set.
If 10% of the existing tourist bed nights were off-set in this way, the proposed programme could generate R90,370 worth of carbon revenue annually. This number is simply indicative
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Final Report 2011 of how much money the proposed programme could generate based on the stipulated assumptions.
A woody tree in a 20 litre container filled with composted soil, has the potential to permanently sequestrate 0.514 tCO2 over a 40 year lifetime – much more if the nursery contains SWHs and solar pumps and energy efficient lightbulbs.
Carbon revenue in this programme has the potential to contribute ZAR 77 to the establishing and care of this tree over the 40 year lifespan.
The off-setting of 10% of K2C’s bednights, the nursery would require the establishing and caring of 1,171 indigenous trees every year, and a maximum of 46,848 trees under the management of the nursery project once the programme was in full swing.
It is proposed that the “liability” for credits that is not the result of negligence by K2C, be carried by the environment where lost credits cannot be easily substituted by similar credits. For example, if the entire nursery burns down and destroys credits that have already been sold, then neither K2C nor the buyer should be liable for this loss.
The K2C programme does not intend to offer countries or industries the potential to reduce their legal carbon liabilities as prescribed by the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, and should not be burdened with the same accounting procedures as programmes that do.
The programme would require a clear sense of the “owner”, “buyer” and “beneficiary” of credits, and who would “monitor” the programme. These roles need to be recorded in a memorandum of understanding. This report outlines proposals for who should adopt these roles.
Off-sets are required to be acknowledged with the issuing of a certificate to buyers.
The K2C programme should seek recognition from South Africa’s Designated National Authority and register with the South African Carbon Protocol. This will lend legitimacy and ensure that its efforts are recognised by any national effort that seeks to cap South African emissions reduction in the future.
The long-term aim should be a large portfolio of carbon off-set options with the unifying theme that they are all generated by projects in the K2C Biosphere that also improve local people’s lives. The programme should be clear that it both a mitigation and an adaptation programme. As such it will qualify for adaptation funds from donor organisations.
Including knowledge partners (universities, NGOs, schools and technikons) that have a research interest in the programme will ensure that the programme develops links with the knowledge economy. These links will provide information, exposure and revenue to the programme.
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In the longer term, the programme may seek transactions with institutional buyers such as banks and companies, and may require all participating lodges to themselves become buyers, so that it is the lodged and not their guests who are off-setting their activities.
The financial benefits of the generic marketing and strategic benefits of the proposed programme are likely to outweigh the revenue generated by actual carbon transactions. If it succeeds the programme could become seen as a flagship for community carbon trading in Africa.
The proposed programme is highly strategic in that it will make simultaneous contributions to the reduction of emissions, the improvement of livelihoods and the protection of a threatened environment. It is important that the programme does not lose sight of these important objectives. The carbon market has the propensity to become complex at the expense of progress. This market is, however, simply a human construct and where it fails to provide an appropriate vehicle for the achievement of the strategic objectives above it should be modified or replaced.
PROGRAMME ROLL-OUT Identifying key milestones in the development of the K2C community carbon trading programme is an important component of the programme’s management. The milestones and the pace at which these milestones are passed is less important than recognizing their value and getting the sequence of events correct. The list below is indicative and should be reviewed periodically.
Convene meeting with Birdlife SA, Nourish and Greenleaf Certification to discuss roles and responsibilities.
Receive K2C approval to proceed and decide on a suitable entity (preferably 18a tax compliant) through which to run the programme.
Ensure the nursery project has the capacity to generate and record credits.
Develop web-page and promotional material.
Develop template legal agreements between K2C and project participants securing access to the credits and outlining terms of and conditions of payment.
Brief lodges on programme design and intention and solicit signed agreements to participate.
MoUs signed with participating lodges, first project (Bushbuck RidgeTHP) and programme developer (K2C).
Registry selected or created.
Inform South Africa’s Designated Operating Entity (DoE) and register the programme with South African carbon protocol.
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Review external marketing opportunities focusing on institutional buyers and destination marketing.
Train rangers in climate change and the programme and distribute promotional material.
Internal monitoring of transaction volume and developmental impacts.
External evaluation of programme outputs and impacts.
Applications to “adaptation funds”
Review of non-forestry project options.
Explore potential for lodges off-setting their entire business to create carbon neutral stays.
Review certification options.
CONCLUSION The K2C Biosphere has shown foresight in seeking to review the potential of a community carbon trading programme based on an identified need to restore indigenous plants in the region. The study finds considerable merit in the proposed carbon trading programme. The proposed programme relates to the core mandate of the UNESCO biosphere, namely to combine the needs of local people, the local environment and the heritage of the region. The proposed programme is highly strategic in that it will make simultaneous contributions to the reduction of emissions, the improvement of livelihoods and the protection of a threatened environment. The programme should not lose sight of these important objectives; the carbon market has the propensity to become complex at the expense of progress and should be modified or replaced if it fails to provide an appropriate vehicle for meeting K2C needs. Whilst the proposed programme contains considerable merit, it should be recognised that it also novel and innovative within the context of the global carbon market. In seeking to localise transactions between buyers and sellers and avoid the considerable transaction costs that characterise the CDM and some of the voluntary carbon markets, the proposed scheme will be addressing many of the failings of the global carbon market but will equally be breaking new ground. Those involved in the implementation of this programme should expect scrutiny and be clear on why they are conducting the programme in the way they do. This study suggests that provided the challenges are understood and the correct institutional arrangements are put in place, there is more than adequate basis to commence with a localised carbon trading programme in K2C. The programme is unlikely to generate large profits in its initial years. On the contrary the design and initiation of the programme and associated marketing (an essential component of the programme) could cost more than the revenue generated by the programme in the initial years. There are however a number of factors that make the scheme attractive: The extreme disparity between the emissions of guests at luxury lodges and the emissions of people in the former homelands of the region creates the perfect environment for a carbon market.
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The failure of the international carbon market to meet the social and development needs of the African continent has created the opportunity for credible and innovative schemes on the continent to design approaches that suit them.
Lodge guests, and particularly those in the birding community, have requested opportunities to make off-sets, indicating a potential market for the type of credits envisaged by K2C.
The nursery should be able to exist without carbon revenue and as such carbon revenue simply represents a bonus for the nursery and subsequent projects.
The proposed scheme offers considerable opportunities for the type of destination and lodge marketing that fits with the region’s profile and the interests of tourists in the region.
Climate change is not going away. On the contrary, the K2C Biosphere region is locked into global warming that will unavoidably accelerate over the next 20 years. As awareness of this trend and its consequences grow, so too will the market for programmes that tackle this phenomenon.
This study has identified the potential to generate over R90,000 if 10 % of the bednights booked in the K2C region were off-set. The cost of off-setting a single night and the travel associated with a game drive is small (R12.91) relative to the cost of a night. If indigenous trees in 20 litre bags filled with well managed soil are used to off-set these bednights then it is safe to assume that a single tree and bag will sequestrate 3.06 kg of CO2e per year in its initial five years and 514 kg of CO2e over its 40 year lifetime. The implication is that the nursery would require a lot of trees and if a ton of CO2 credit is sold for R150, then a containerised tree in a 20 litre bag, could receive R77 worth of carbon revenue based on its sequestration over 40 years. Containerised trees do not represent the only means of generating credits in the K2C programme and the study outlines a range of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that could be introduced to projects to simultaneously reduce emissions and improve local livelihoods. Effective marketing of the programme to both lodges and to the broader public is identified as essential to realising the full suite of benefits offered by the programme and particularly the promote of the region as a destination of choice. In addition the study identified critical institutional arrangements – a registry, clear and documented understanding over who owns the credits, tax efficient entities and links to national carbon trading monitors – that should be built into the design of the programme. In addition the inclusion of “knowledge partners” – university researchers, NGOs, technikons and schools – is envisaged as a means of providing important innovations to the programme and documenting and exposing the programme as a highly innovative example of sustainable development.
Replanting of Community Resource Areas INTRODUCTION Biovista Conservation Consultancy has been appointed to conduct the feasibility study to investigate the re-planting of Traditional Health Practitioner (THP) Resource Areas, in the Bushbuckridge Region
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Final Report 2011 of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The project is a pilot project of the Kruger to Canyons (K2C) Biosphere Region that arose as a result of consultation with the Traditional Healers and the establishment of their Biocultural Protocol. The THP’s of this particular region have organised themselves to become the THP’s of Bushbuckridge (BBR). One of the main concerns of the group was the unavailability (currently compared to historically) of medicinal plants in the veld or wild around their residential community areas and places where they harvest natural resources. This has lead to the feasibility study looking at possibly growing plants in medicinal plant nurseries and then re-planting into the wild. This (Medicinal plant) project is closely linked to the K2C Voluntary Carbon Credit project, which is also presently undergoing a feasibility study. The basic concept of the carbon project is to establish if it is feasible, and if there are willing participants from the guests of the many lodge / tourism accommodation facilities in the K2C Biosphere, to pay for their local carbon emissions during their visit to the region. The money raised from this would then be used towards community projects, specifically this medicinal plant nursery to “sink” carbon into the soil mainly and partially with the growing of large trees. This 3rd Deliverable of the Feasibility study focuses on the proposed plan and budget towards implementation of the proposed concept (in deliverable 2). It also suggests a co-operation plan / strategy to ensure the BBR THP’s are engaged. In Deliverable 2 it was determined that it was not feasible to focus on re-planting of (indigenous medicinal) plants in the Natural Resource Areas of Bushbuckridge. This was mainly because the security of the re-planted plants could not be guaranteed. The proposed concept is based on agro-forestry principles with additional strategies towards sinking of carbon into the soil as established by aiREG (founded by Johan Bruwer).
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS TO THE FUTURE OF THIS PROJECT It is recommended that the following are the critical success factors that need to be taken into consideration in the planning, implementation and operations of the future project:
There needs to be a reliable market for all aspects of the project in order for it to be viable and sustainable. A dynamic marketing plan would need to be in place, as the target markets will be diverse for the different aspects of the project. This could be outsourced to professional consultants. Start the project with the most marketable products. Diversify the products available i.e. it should not be just a medicinal plant nursery. Need high volume of plants, i.e.there cannot be just a few of each species (this is also in line with PACE’s comments (Cartwright, 2010). Take note that People do want plants (of all types) BUT cannot afford them so consider prices: plant size carefully and for what people can afford. Careful planning and consultation with the relevant stakeholders. Consider the 5 main livelihood asset groups: 1. Human. 2. Financial. 3. Natural. 4. Social. 5. Physical. Long-term institutional support & a phased mentorship type program. Ability to source “seed” / start-up financing to initiate the implementation of the project. Provide on-going skills development & environmental awareness at different levels to different target groups.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The proposed implementation plan is based on 5 Phases, which entail:
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Phase I Pre-implementation:This phase comprises of preparation activities that need to be in place before being able to proceed with the subsequent phases. In particular the items include securing land for the project (at a new venue) and sourcing funding for the implementation of the whole project.
Phase II Forming Institutional entity, consultation & capacity building:As mentioned in the sections above it is critical to have a suitable institutional structure as it forms the basis of the initiative.
Phase III Agro-forestry Development Phase:This phase entails planning the lay-out of the land, setting up the agro-forestry, laying down the prepared carbon, planting and training key staff.It would also involve the initial planning of marketing of the variety of products & services that will come out of the project.
Phase IV Kukula Centre Development Phase & Upgrade satellite nurseries:involves the planning and constructing of the centre and associated infrastructure as well as auditing the identified satellite centres in order to align them with the principles of the project.
Phase V Operation Phase:all aspects pertaining to operations of the project, which will be ongoing from the end of the 3rd year (the conclusion of this plan & budget).
Note: these phases needed to follow on from each other in a suitable time frame (as suggested in the plan) so that there isn’t a lag in momentum from one phase to the next. While the phases may overlap at certain stages of implementation, the project can ill afford to have a break of 5 months for example, between forming the institutional structure and then starting the agro-forestry phase. The time frame for this implementation plan is based on a 3 year period. According to aiREG, it is expected that the carbon factory will be operational by February 2011, but only towards the end of 2011 (ca. September) would the “ready-to-use” prepared carbon be available. This and the sourcing of “seed” funding are the limiting factors to the time frame for implementation of the project. For the purposes of this plan it will be assumed that funding will have been sourced by the end of July 2011. Should this not be the situation the time frame also has an unspecified date included, for example month 1 or within the 1st 3 months, to the maximum of a 48 month period (because the 1st 7 months of 2011 have not been specifically included in Phase I – refer to table 2). However if funding is sourced earlier, the implementation plan roll-out could happen quicker than predicted. Certain tasks may require less time for implementation and some may be combined, this would be at the discretion and management of the Project Manager and “Kukula Board/EXCO”. The plan consists of the action, a basic description of the details for the action, the time frame in which the activity should be conducted and completed, the responsible person / people for implementing the activity; the priority rating (on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is highest priority) and that which will indicate the action has been achieved. For the purposes of this document the infrastructural entity will be referred to as the “Kukula Board/EXCO”, but the actual type / form of the organisation will be determined in workshops to be held in phase I.
CONCLUSION
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Final Report 2011 There is no doubt that this is an ambitious and relatively expensive project. It is expected that to establish the project it will cost a little less than ZAR11 million (over a 3 yr period). It is estimated that approximately ZAR 2 million of this can be recovered from voluntary carbon off-set funds (from either the K2C project or other businesses wanting to contribute to a similar fund). A project, such as this “Kukula Centre” has a variety of other values besides monetary gain, many of which are more difficult to allocate a fiscal value to. These include the contribution to credible carbon sinking; creating new skills amongst staff members and associates, as well empowering the broader community & visitors with a greater awareness of the surrounding environment, and ethnobotanical information. There will also be a few employment opportunities and the provision of sustainable and ethically obtained medicinal plant parts to the BBR THP and medicinal plant markets (e.g. bark & leaves) in a system that is generally infamously known for the negative impacts on the threatened plant species. In addition to these it will help economically stimulate some small local businesses; set a precedent on new agro-forestry and sustainable living strategies as well provide fresh, organic vegetables to people & operations of the region. While it may seem initially expensive to install renewable energy dependent systems, in the long term it reduces the financial costs considerably and perhaps even more important it significantly reduces the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. Credibility is all important when it comes to carbon trading because of the negative history it has in the global community (Bond et al, 2009), where it is seen as an opportunity for large corporate industries to get away with polluting. Key factors of this project, which contribute to its authenticity as a true carbon sequestrator will be that the majority of the carbon is sunk into the soil which is considered stable (unlike plants or other biosequestrators) as well as the use of renewable energy and “green building concepts”. So while the initiative revolves around the growing of medicinal plants and organic fresh produce (both of which have valuable ecological and social values), it is the addition of prepared carbon to the soil in the agro-forestry system that provides the dependable foundation to this project and its voluntary carbon trading objectives. In order to finance this project it would be necessary to secure at least ZAR11 million. This could either be in the form of a grant or a loan. A grant would be the ideal option as it would alleviate the pressure to repay the ZAR 8.5 million (ca. ZAR 2 million should be recovered from the voluntary carbon fund/s). However the project does need to become sustainable and viable within a short period. In order to achieve this it calculates at making ca. ZAR 200 000/mo; although monthly costs, especially salaries could be reduced until such time that the centre is running at a profit. This target is achievable, but is dependent on a successful marketing strategy and being able to establish reliable markets for the variety of products offered by the “Kukula Centre”. "When you look at an apple, some people would say the non-organic apple is cheaper than the organic apple. But when you factor in what you're receiving in terms of vitamins, minerals, etc., the organic apple—on that basis—is cheaper than the non-organic apple." — Jerry Kay, on Beyond Organic
Feasiblity Study Conclusions As is outlined in the previous Interim report – however, once again included in this report for ease of reference, on receipt of the final report for the Carbon Off-set Programme, all aspects have proved to be very positive and can be deemed a Feasible project if followed along the guide-lines and
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Final Report 2011 recommendations included in the report. Thus it is currently ascertained that this project will be implemented and the following stage of sourcing funding and plans in this regard will be drawn up. As regards the Medicinal Plant replanting the following findings have been concluded: The service provider looked into the feasibility of replanting medicinal plant species within the Natural Resource Areas as managed by the local Tribal Authorities as was originally envisioned by K2C As was outlined and indicated in the 2nd Interim Report, it was found that the following aspects contribute to the original vision proposed by K2C to be concluded as non-feasible o The establishment of purely medicinal plant nurseries is not enough to be financially sustainable, o The use of communal/ natural resource areas for the replanting of plant stock is not secureand has a complex scenario of lack of control of each of these areas. o The planting of medicinal plant material (as well as any alternative species) is not enough to supply sufficient carbon sequestration and thus will have to be partnered with more permanent and developed options of carbon sequestration/ mitigation such as the establishment of green infrastructure to accompany the nursery aspect of the project Based on these findings – the original ideas behind the project – as proposed by K2C, have to be concluded as Non-Feasible, however, the service providers concluded, after their extensive research and surveys, that it should not be termed “Non-Feasible” in total and in fact with modifications and adjustments to the original idea, the project can be concluded as “feasible”. Based on this principal, and as a result of the extreme need and desire of the beneficiaries for this type of project to be implemented, the Service Providers went further than the original Terms of Reference, and investigated and proposed the only possible means for this project to be feasible. The resultant proposal, as featured in the final report submitted by the Service Providers, includes the original objectives of K2C in assisting the Traditional Health Practitioners in increasing their access to medicinal plant species, however, it goes further than that in also assisting and supporting the preservation and promotion of cultural knowledge and cultural value as well as the very important and vital process of job creation within the impoverished communities surrounding the proposed development. Thus, based on the findings of the Feasibility report – the resultant project that would be required in order to fulfill the objectives originally set out to mitigate at the start of this project, is a development that encompasses a number of additional focus areas to those originally identified by K2C, yet each of them being as important and vital as the other. With this in mind, K2C have concluded: K2C accepts the proposed development as drawn up by the Service Provider as an initial unrefined proposal that requires further intensive work and input by specialists that fall outside of the current Service Providers skillset and the initial Terms of Reference presented. This will include aspects such as: o Detailed Business Plan o Detailed Return on Investment report o Detailed Marketing Strategy etc In order to develop the project further along the initial guidelines submitted by the Service Provider as regards the development of a large centre – currently dubbed the “Kakula centre” further input, participation, communications and interactions from the THP Exo is required.
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It is K2C’s belief that this can only successfully be achieved once extensive Capacity Building has been completed with the current THP EXCO as is outlined in the combined implementation process diagram below. Thus, following the process of Capacity Building within the current THP EXCO, an extensive Business Development Phase will be required that will include the completion of the above, as well as the initial administrative initiation as outlined in the current proposed implementation plan submitted by the Service Provider (ie the development and registration of a formal business institution). K2C feels that it is only after the completion of this intense and detailed business development phase that they will be able to put together a complex funding and business proposal for the establishment of a centre such as is being proposed in the Kakula Development.
Based on the details listed above, K2C also has concluded that initial monies received from the Voluntary Carbon Off-set Programme will be used in the estabalishment of a Pilot Project that may not necessarily be linked to the THP’s but will allow for the learning phase to be undertaken. It is intended that the pilot project will be done in conjunction with the Reach-a-Cross project – and additional project in the area that is supported by K2C in which teachers from various rural and impoverished schools are taught skills, empowered with ideas etc that enhance their effectiveness as educators and their abilities to successfully teach their students. The pilot project will be set up within a secure and established school and will be used as a learning site. It will involve the development of a small Agro-forestry site as suggested in the Service Providers report followed by the removal of the school from the grid, through the implementation of renewable energy sources. Both of these options – ie the production of renewable energy as well as the development of a small and easily manageable agro-forestry site will be used to also garner and collate data and figures on how much income is being generated through the Carbon Off-set programme and the successful conversion of this into carbon sequestration per m² within the pilot project. This information can then be used and included into the detailed business plan when drawing up the detailed documents and further studies that would be required to implement a project the size and value of that currently proposed within the concept of the Kakula Centre Development. Thus in summary K2C concludes the following from the completion of both of these studies: The Carbon Off-set Programe is highly feasible and should be initiated as soon as is possible Initial monies obtained through this programme are to be put into a small pilot project within a secure scenario which can be used a learning site as well as a source of data collection to contribute towards a larger, more complex proposal for the Kakula development Capacity building and Institutional Support is crucial within the Traditional Health Practitioners Executive Committee, in order so capacitate them with contribution and participation in further studies and development of this proposed development. Thereafter, a further study with a finance and business orientated Service Provider, needs to be undertaken that will look into the development of complex and detailed business documents to support the development and establishment of the expanded Kakula Development Project as listed above.
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Appendix 4: Minutes from Steering Committee Meeting
COMBINED PROJECT OUTLINE PHASE I Establishment 1st stage of Carbon Offset Programme
DIAGRAMATIC FLOW OF PROJECT PHASING
PHASE III Capacity Building Process with THP Executive Committee
PHASE II Co-funded Pilot Project to be used as learning site
PHASE VI Expansion of Carbon Offset Programme
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PHASE IV Business Development
PHASE V Development of Kakula Centre
