INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Public Disclosure Copy Report No.: ISDSC660 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 26-Mar-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 02-Apr-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Congo, Democratic Republic P128887 Project ID: of Project Name: DRC Forest Investment Program (P128887) Task Team Jean-Christophe Carret Leader: Estimated 23-Sep-2013 Estimated 05-Aug-2013 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: AFTN1 Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: Sector(s): Forestry (50%), Public administration- Agriculture, fishing and forestry (30%), General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector (20 %) Theme(s): Climate change (50%), Environmental policies and institutions (20%), Land administration and management (20%), Biodiversity (5%), Ru ral policies and institutions (5%) Public Disclosure Copy Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 36.90 Total Bank Financing: 0.00 Total Cofinancing: Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.00 Strategic Climate Fund Grant 36.90 Total 36.90 Environmental B - Partial Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? B. Project Objectives The Project Development Objective (PDO) aims at promoting sustainable forest management around Kinshasa, more specifically in the Plateau district of the Bandudu Province and in the Kinshasa Province itself, while improving the livelihood of rural communities and testing innovative mechanisms for forest management that contribute to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in the targeted project area. C. Project Description Public Disclosure Copy Component 1- Promotion of community-based natural resources management in the Plateau District. Component 2 – Promotion of Private Sector Engagement in REDD+ a) Promotion of woodfuel plantations b) Promotion of efficient biomass energy transformation and use in Kinshasa Component 3 – Small Grants to promising REDD+ initiatives Component 4 – Project management, monitoring and knowledge management D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Project location: Component 1 will be implemented in the Plateau District of the Bandundu Province. Component 2 will be implemented in areas around Kinshasa, more specifically in the Bas Congo province and the Bateke Plateau. Specific land areas where agroforestry will take place will only be known during project implementation. The promotion of improved cooking stoves will be targeted at the urban population of Kinshasa (Component 2b). Support to improved charcoal-making techniques (Component 2b) is expected to be focused on the Bateke Plateau. Component 3 is a small grant facility open to proposals from stakeholders in key sectors and geographic areas to be determined during project preparation. Public Disclosure Copy Salient physical characteristics: Out of DRC’s total population of over 65 million, more than 8 million live in Kinshasa. Kinshasa and its surrounding areas are subject to a hot and humid tropical climate. Soils are mainly sandy with low to medium agricultural potential. Vegetation is mostly degraded savanna with some remaining forest tracts (especially on the slopes along the Congo River and its affluents). Further north in the Bandundu Province areas of savanna-forest mosaic remain. Deforestation rates in the Project intervention area (mainly in the Plateau District) are well above the national average and mainly driven by shifting cultivation in riparian forests and shrubby savannas and processing of residual biomass into charcoal for the Kinshasa market. The Bombo-Lumene Hunting Reserve (“Domaine de Chasse�) is the only protected area in the project zone, and no activities will be undertaken inside this protected area. It is expected that the promotion of agroforestry and improved cook stoves will reduce fuelwood collection pressure on this Hunting Reserve. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is more familiar with the Bank’s Safeguard Policies based on experience with other Bank-funded projects across different sectors. The Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism (MECNT), which will oversee implementation of the Project, has prior experience with the Bank’s Safeguard Policies and a variety of safeguard instruments, including an Environmental and Social Management Framework that was finalized in Public Disclosure Copy 2009 in preparation for an investment project in the forestry sector. MECNT is further overseeing the launching and carrying out of a Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) as part of DRC’s REDD+ readiness preparation process. The SESA will inform the formulation and development of DRC’s National REDD+ Strategy and is intended to identify opportunities for maximizing the positive social and environmental impacts of the REDD+ Strategy, as well as avoiding, and if this is not possible mitigating and/or compensating any adverse impacts from the implementation of the REDD+ Strategy. A key aspect of the SESA process is the participatory and inclusive stakeholder consultation process that will support broad stakeholder involvement in the overall design of the REDD+ Strategy. The capacity of the Government, and specifically of the MECNT, to address safeguard issues will be further strengthened as part of the SESA process as well as during project preparation for this Project. Nevertheless, capacity levels at the Government level remain low and need continued strengthening. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Hocine Chalal (AFTN1) Antoine V. Lema (AFTCS) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes An Environmental and Social Management BP 4.01 Framework (ESMF) will provide guidance on managing environmental and social risks under Components 2 and 3. An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) will be Public Disclosure Copy prepared for the community-based natural resource management activities in the Plateau District to be supported under Component 1. Both of these documents will be prepared, consulted upon, and disclosed before appraisal. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes The Project will operate in natural habitats, but will not include activities that involve significant conversion or degradation of natural habitats. Instead, the Project activities are designed to reduce pressures on natural habitats as well improve their conservation. Agroforestry activities will be promoted in degraded savanna lands. Potential impacts and proposed mitigation measures will be included in the ESMF and ESIA. Forests OP/BP 4.36 Yes The project will operate in forested areas, but will not involve conversion or degradation of critical forest areas. The Project will however finance agroforestry and plantations in non- forested or previously converted and degraded areas. Agroforestry activities under the Project will be designed to prevent and mitigate Public Disclosure Copy potential threats to biodiversity, including threats related to the introduction of invasive species. Potential impacts and proposed mitigation measures will be included in the ESMF and ESIA. Forest management plans may also be prepared during project implementation. Pest Management OP 4.09 TBD The Project will invest in agroforestry activities, and support to intensification of agriculture. Activities may thus require pest management activities. In that case, an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) would be prepared, consulted upon, and disclosed before appraisal to ensure that environmentally friendly methods for pest control are applied, such as biological control, cultural practices, and the development and use of varieties that are pest and disease resistant or tolerant. The IPMP will also provide guidance on the safe selection, handling and disposal of pesticides. Physical Cultural Resources OP/ TBD Though it is not anticipated that the project will BP 4.11 have negative impacts on any such sites, the existence of any such sites and the corresponding need to trigger this policy will be determined once the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is completed. The Public Disclosure Copy relevant policies and procedures will be presented in the Environmental and Social Management Framework. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 TBD An Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework may be prepared, depending on the final target area of the project to be determined during preparation. Area-specific Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPP) will be prepared and implemented in case IP communities are present in the areas targeted by project activities. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP Yes The Project does not entail any physical 4.12 resettlement. However, the development and implementation of local land use plans may reduce the access to natural resources for some households. A Resettlement Policy Framework, and if deemed applicable, a Process Framework, will provide guidance for determining how to address any potential incomes or livelihood displacement impact. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No N/A Public Disclosure Copy Projects on International No The project will not affect international Waterways OP/BP 7.50 waterways. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No N/A 7.60 III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 01-Sep-2013 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: The following safeguard instruments are expected to be prepared during the preparation phase: i) an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), ii) a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF), possibly including a Process Framework (PF), and iii) an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) (to be determined). Depending on the target area of the project and in case of the presence of Indigenous People in such target areas, also iv) an Indigenous People Planning Framework (IPPF) would be prepared. An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Plateau District will also be prepared. These safeguard documents will be consulted upon and disclosed by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and by the World Bank’s Infoshop prior to appraisal of the Project. A Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) is currently under preparation as part of DRC’s REDD+ readiness preparation process. The SESA aims to identify opportunities for maximizing the positive social and environmental impacts and avoiding, or if that is not possible mitigating and/or compensating for adverse impacts from the implementation of REDD+. While Public Disclosure Copy the SESA is financed with separate funding provided by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the scope of the SESA will cover DRC’s overall REDD+ Strategy, and as such, the pilot activities and investments to be implemented under the FIP. The team in charge of the REDD+ SESA will therefore prepare the ESMF and other framework tools for the planned activities under the Forest Investment Program. IV. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Jean-Christophe Carret Approved By: Regional Safeguards Name: Alexandra C. Bezeredi (RSA) Date: 02-Apr-2013 Coordinator: Sector Manager: Name: Magdolna Lovei (SM) Date: 04-Jan-2013 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons.