Establishing additionality

Small-scale afforestation or reforestation (SSC A/R) project activities must demonstrate that they would not be implemented in the absence of CDM registration because of one or more barriers:

A simplified baseline and monitoring methodology listed in appendix B may be used for a small-scale afforestation or reforestation project activity under the CDM if the project participants are able to demonstrate to a DOE that the project activity would otherwise not be implemented due to the existence of one or more of the barriers listed in attachment A to appendix B.  Where specified in appendix B for a project category, quantitative evidence that the project activity would otherwise not be implemented may be provided instead of a demonstration based on the barriers listed in attachment A to appendix B (6/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 20).

Attachment A to Appendix B to the Annex of 6/CMP.1 requires the Executive Board to develop a list of barriers, at least one of which must be applicable to the SSC A/R project in order to demonstrate its additionality, as described below.  These barriers are currently contained in the three approved SSC A/R methodologies available on the UNFCCC website.

Project participants in an SSC A/R project must demonstrate to a designated operational entity (DOE) that the project would not otherwise be implemented because of one of the listed barriers.

These barriers are as follows:

2. Investment barriers, other than economic/financial barriers, inter alia:
   1. Debt funding not available for this type of project activity;
   2. No access to international capital markets due to real or perceived risks associated with domestic or foreign direct investment in the country where the project activity is to be implemented;
   3. Lack of access to credit.
3. Institutional barriers, inter alia:
   1. Risk relating to changes in government policies or laws;
   2. Lack of enforcement of legislation relating to forest or land-use.
4. Technological barriers, inter alia:
   1. Lack of access to planting materials;
   2. Lack of infrastructure for implementation of the technology.
5. Barriers relating to local tradition, inter alia:
   1. Traditional knowledge or lack thereof, of laws and customs, market conditions, practices;
   2. Traditional equipment and technology;
6. Barriers due to prevailing practice, inter alia:
   1. The project activity is the "first of its kind". No project activity of this type is currently operational in the host country or region.
7. Barriers due to local ecological conditions, inter alia:
   1. Degraded soil (e.g. water/wind erosion, salination);
   2. Catastrophic natural and/or human-induced events (e.g. land slides, fire);
   3. Unfavourable meteorological conditions (e.g. early/late frost, drought);
   4. Pervasive opportunistic species preventing regeneration of trees (e.g. grasses, weeds);
   5. Unfavourable course of ecological succession;
   6. Biotic pressure in terms of grazing, fodder collection, etc.
8. Barriers due to social conditions, inter alia:
   1. Demographic pressure on the land (e.g. increased demand on land due to population growth);
   2. Social conflict among interest groups in the region where the project activity takes place;
   3. Widespread illegal practices (e.g. illegal grazing, non-timber product extraction and tree felling);
   4. Lack of skilled and/or properly trained labour force;
   5. Lack of organization of local communities.