Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

Appendix 1- Example Blue Carbon Project Feasibility Assessment Questionnaire The following example of a Blue Carbon feasibility assessment questionnaire is adapted from the site selection criteria and intervention elements developed for terrestrial forestry carbon projects. These criterions have been used to help guide the GEF funded Blue Carbon and ecosystem service projects in Ecuador, Indonesia, Madagascar and Mozambique. They have also been shared with partners interested in exploring Blue Carbon projects in Kenya, Malaysia and the Red Sea region. The following questions are intended to help gauge the potential for project success, develop a baseline for demonstrating additionality, and evidencing the sustainability of activities after project end. They are arranged according to four criterions; appropriateness, technical feasibility, financial feasibility, and risks:

Criterion

#

Sub-criterion

Question

Appropriateness 1

Blue Carbon habitat area Ecosystem type Ecosystem health Ecosystem impacts

How many hectares does the site cover?

2 3 4 5 6 7

What Blue Carbon ecosystem does the site focus on? What is the state of ecosystem? (degraded vs. pristine) What are the current impacts and source(s) of degradation? What are the current uses of this resource/area? Are there viable ecosystem service prospects? Do payments for ecosystem services options already exist? What is the local and national experience with REDD and REDD+ projects? What potential does this project have to be replicated? Does the site present an opportunity to address key local/national policy challenges? How can the project enhance existing management practices? What is the project's potential to enhance current livelihoods and create new livelihood options? Do local and or national laws enable (or at least not prohibit) payments for carbon and ecosystem services? Is mapping data available for the project site? Do local experts have experience in validating remote sensing data sources? Do local experts have the necessary technical capacity to undertake the project? Do payments for carbon already exist?

Ecosystem services Ecosystem services

Payments for ecosystem services

8 9

Carbon experience Carbon experience

10 Replication 11 Project need

12 Project need

13 Livelihood

considerations

14 Legal status

Technical feasibility

15 Mapping

16 Remote sensing

17 Scientific capacity

18 Scientific capacity

What are the local/national science needs? Does the site have defined boundaries?

19 Boundaries

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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