High Conservation Value Analysis
Introduction
In order to start up new land use activities in a sustainable manner, impact assessments are often required either by law or by independent party certification standards.
In case of forest management or plantation development under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) requirements, a High Conservation Value Analysis needs to be carried out to identify any presence of High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) and subsequently define adequate management of any HCVF if the new land use activities are impemented.
A HCV analysis encompasses a study to assess the area under consideration in relation to ecological and social aspects of high conservation value. In case of plantation development they should be developed on undisputed land. Natural forests with HCVF should be managed so as not to jeopardise the values found there.
The HCV analysis could also be part of a feasibility study by giving insight in the space and limitations for sustainable production that exist in
FORM also applies the HCV approach outside of the scope of FSC certification, because the approach is valuable for any land development activities which potentially interfere with High Conservation Values.
Target group
This service is intended for individual timber and (agro)forest plantation companies, from small to large size, who wish to conserve and sustainable manage High Conservation Values on the lands under current or future management.
Contents of the service
The objective is to prepare a document based on available information (flora, fauna and social studies), which shows that there are no major objections to initiating the planned activities in the area under consideration.
The most solid approach for this is an analysis of the High Conservation Values. These HCV were originally developed for FSC certification but the concept is now also used for e.g. oilpalm plantation establishment. The values are identified based on available information. If the available information suggests that an important conservation value is present there may be two options:
- FORM will advice not to carry out the proposed activities, or;
- measures will be proposed to maintain the value while implementing the proposed activities. A system of monitoring will then be proposed to evaluate the effect of the measures.
Six individual values can be identified (source: HCV National Interpretation Toolkit for Ghana[1]):
HCV 1 Globally regionally or nationally significant concentrations of biodiversity values
HCV 2 Globally regionally or nationally significant large landscape level terrains
HCV 3 Areas that are in or contain rare threatened and endangered ecosystems
HCV 4 Areas that provide basic services of nature in critical situations
HCV 5 Areas fundamental to meeting basic needs of local communities
HCV 6 Areas critical to local communities' traditional cultural identity
The study should provide proof that none of these values will be endangered by the proposed activities. In part this can be proven by the absence of vegetation (where it is currently agricultural land). Other parts of the evidence shall be delivered by field studies (interviews with local communities; inventories of fauna and flora).
In case specialised knowledge beyond FORM's expertise is required, FORM will ask Ghanaian experts to perform studies on the local communities and of flora and fauna aspects.
Benefits for the client
This service results in a clearly documented account of the presence, extent and detailed nature of HCV in the area where the client wishes to develop activities.
This documentation can therefore serve as proof to authorities and certification bodies that due diligence was carried out before the undertaking started and in case of land use changes it can proof that no HCV were destroyed or degraded by the client.
Because HCV often require protective measures and limit the avilable productive area. The HCV analysis therefore also serves a purpose in making feasibility estimations.
[1] An Interpretation of Global HCVF Toolkit for use in Ghana - May 2006. By: Tim Rayden, Ishmael Jesse-Dodoo, Andhers Lindhe and Abraham Baffoe
