Advantages of registration as a SSC A/R project

Registration as a small-scale afforestation or reforestation (A/R) project entitles project participants to use the simplified modalities and procedures set out in 6/CMP.1, Annex.

In particular, small-scale projects may:

• Be bundled or portfolio bundled;
• Use a simplified project design document (CDM-SSC-AR-PDD);
• Use simplified baseline methodologies;
• Use simplified monitoring plans with reduced monitoring requirements; and
  
• Engage the same designated operational entity (DOE) to undertake validation, verification and certification.

These advantages are set out in 6/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 1:

Small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities under the clean development mechanism (CDM) shall follow the stages of the project cycle specified in the modalities and procedures for afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM contained in the annex to decision 19/CP.9 (hereinafter referred to as the modalities and procedures for afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM). In order to reduce transaction costs, these modalities and procedures are simplified for small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM as follows:

1. Project activities may be bundled or portfolio bundled at the following stages in the project cycle: the project design document, validation, registration, monitoring, verification and certification. The size of the total bundle should not exceed the limits stipulated in paragraph 1 (i) of the modalities and procedures for afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM;
2. The requirements for the project design document are reduced;
3. Baseline methodologies by project type are simplified to reduce the cost of developing a project baseline;
4. Monitoring plans are simplified, including simplified monitoring requirements, to reduce monitoring costs;
5. The same operational entity may undertake validation as well as verification and certification (6/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 1).

The rule that the same DOE may undertake validation, verification and certification is also set out in paragraph 12:

A single designated operational entity may perform validation as well as verification and certification for a small-scale afforestation or reforestation project activity under the CDM or for bundled small-scale afforestation or reforestation project activities under the CDM (6/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 12).