The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance

The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance

Posts By: Julie Baroody

Coming Soon: Streamlined Climate, Community & Biodiversity Program Documents

VCS is pleased to announce that Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Program documents are being updated. This update does not constitute a major revision to the CCB Standards, but will introduce templates for project reporting and streamline joint use of the CCB and VCS Programs. Please mark your calendars for early November, when VCS will release the documents for public comment. Please see below for the full announcement.

VCS tiene el placer de anunciar que los documentos del Programa de Clima, Comunidad y Biodiversidad (CCB) están en proceso de actualización. Esta actualización no constituye una revisión significativa a los Estándares CCB, pero va a introducir plantillas para los informes de proyectos y armonizar el uso conjunto de los Programas VCS y CCB. Por favor marque su calendario para los principios de noviembre, cuando VCS lanzará los documentos para comentarios del público. Annuncio completo en Español.

A VCS tem a satisfação de anunciar a atualização dos documentos do Programa de Clima, Comunidade e Biodiversidade (CCB). Essa atualização não constitui uma revisão importante dos Critérios CCB, mas introduzirá modelos para relatórios de projeto e agilizar a utilização conjunta do CCB e programas VCS. Fiquem atentos, porque no início de novembro a VCS divulgará os documentos para comentários públicos. Anúncio completo en Português.

VCS est heureux d’annoncer que les documents du Programme Climat, Communauté et Biodiversité (CCB) vont être mis à jour. Cette mise à jour ne constituera pas une révision majeure ni des Standards CCB, mais présentera des modèles pour les rapports de projet et rationalisera l’utilisation conjointe de CCB et des programmes VCS. Inscrivez dès maintenant début novembre dans votre agenda, date à laquelle VCS présentera les documents pour les commentaires du public. L’annonce complète en Française.


Announcement of Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Program Update and Upcoming Public Comment Period

 VCS is pleased to announce that Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Program documents are being updated. This update will not constitute a major revision to the CCB Standards or the Rules for the Use of the CCB Standards (the Rules).

There have been no substantial updates to the Third Edition of the CCB Standards or Rules since December 2013, when they were first issued. The objectives of this update of CCB Program documents are as follows:

  • Introduce templates to standardize project and auditor reporting. This will provide a framework for projects to present their plans and achievements and for stakeholders to more easily locate information in reports. The templates will also drive consistency and enable greater quality control of project and auditor reporting.
  • Introduce metrics to support reporting of a project’s validated and verified social and environmental benefits to help project proponents explain these benefits and enable VCS to better convey and promote the achievements of CCB projects to all stakeholders.
  • Harmonize CCB Program rules, requirements and operating procedures with those of the VCS Program, including adopting VCS terms for some concepts and streamlining the review process for joint CCB and VCS audits. The ability to use the CCB Program on its own or with GHG accounting programs other than the VCS will not be negatively affected by these streamlining efforts.
  • Establish a systematic approach to implementing relatively small or single-issue program updates between full revisions of the CCB Standards or the
  • Address errata in CCB Program documents.

We invite your feedback on the CCB Program update via an upcoming 60-day public comment period that is scheduled to start around the first week of November. Unless major revisions are needed after the public comment period, the CCB Steering Committee and the VCS Board of Directors will review the updates in the first quarter of 2017.

We expect to roll out the updated documentation in the second quarter of 2017. The updated CCB Standards and Rules will be effective immediately. This means that all new projects and all projects currently using the Third Edition of the CCB Standards must use the updated version of that document going forward. All projects must use the updated Rules going forward (regardless of the edition of the CCB Standards to which they are validated). Templates will be available for immediate use, but will not be required to be used until the end of a six-month grace period.

Watch the VCS website (www.v-c-s.org) at the beginning of November, sign up for VCS’ newsletter, or email ccbstandards@v-c-s.org to request email notification when the public comment period begins. All comments received before the end of the public comment period will be considered and a response will be provided in due course following the conclusion of the comment period.

Please contact Julianne Baroody, CCB Program Manager at ccbstandards@v-c-s.org for more information or with questions about the CCB Program update process or the public comment period.

Lacandón – Forest for Life REDD+ Project

Primary Project Proponent
Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza
Contact Person: Javier Marquez, Director
Email: jmarquez@defensores.org.gt
Tel: (+502) 2310-2929

Public Comment Period (First Verification)
1 April – 1 May 2016
No comments received

Public Comment Period (Validation)
11 February 2016 – 11 March 2016
No comments received

Expected dates of auditor’s site visit
February 2016

  • Region, Country Northwest Petén Department, Guatemala
  • CCB Status Verification Approved - CCB Standards Third Edition, Climate, Community & Biodiversity Gold Level (6 October 2016)

    Validation Approved - CCB Standards, Third Edition, Climate, Community & Biodiversity Gold Level (18 June 2016)
  • CCB Auditor/Certifier AENOR
    Contact Person: Jose Luis Fuentes / Luis Robles Olmos
    Email: jfuentes@aenor.es / lrobles@aenor.es
    Tel: +34 914 326 000 / +34 913 190 581

CCB Standards Project Documents Open for Public Comment

Comments are invited from the public about whether the below projects meet the requirements of the CCB Standards. Comments received by the VCS will be published to the project’s page on the CCBA website (unless otherwise requested) and considered by the auditor during the validation and/or verification process.

Project name: Cordillera Azul National Park REDD Project
Region, Country: San Martín, Ucayali, Huánuco, and Loreto, Peru
Current assessment: Verification for the period 8 August 2012 – 7 August 2014
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English, Spanish Summary)
Public comment period: 17 September – 16 October 2015

Project name: The Paraguay Forest Conservation Project Reduction of GHG Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Chaco-Pantanal Ecosystem
Region, Country: Chaco-Pantanal, Paraguay
Current assessment: Verification for the period 25 February 2011 – 31 August 2015
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English, Spanish Summary)
Public comment period: 18 September – 17 October 2015

Project name: Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project
Region, Country: Isiolo, Marsabit and Laikipia Counties, Kenya
Current assessments: Validation; Verification for the period 10 December 2012 – 31 December 2014
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Document (English, Swahili Summary) and Project Implementation Report (English, Swahili Summary)
Public comment period: 25 September – 24 October 2015

Project name: TIST Program in Kenya, CCB 001
Region, Country: Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru and Kirinyaga Districts, Kenya
Current assessment: Verification for the period 1 January 2011 – 11 August 2015 Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English)
Public comment period: 2 October – 1 November 2015

Project name: TIST Program in Kenya, CCB 002
Region, Country: Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru and Kirinyaga Districts, Kenya
Current assessment: Verification for the period 9 June 2011 – 11 August 2015 Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English)
Public comment period: 2 October – 1 November 2015

Project name: TIST Program in Kenya, CCB 004
Region, Country: Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru and Kirinyaga Districts, Kenya
Current assessment: Verification for the period 13 November 2012 – 11 August 2015 Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English)
Public comment period: 2 October – 1 November 2015

Project name: The Envira Amazonia Project – A Tropical Forest Conservation Project in Acre, Brazil
Region, Country: Acre, Brazil
Current assessment: Verification for the period 2 August 2012 – 31 December 2014
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (English, Portuguese) and Project Implementation Report Summary (English, Portuguese)
Public comment period: 7 October – 6 November 2015

Project name: Avoiding Planned Deforestation and Degradation in the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Chile
Current assessment: Validation; Verification for the period 4 November 2003 – 3 November 2014
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Document (English, Spanish) and Project Implementation Report (English, Spanish)
Public comment period: 9 October – 8 November 2015

Avoiding Planned Deforestation and Degradation in the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Chile

Project Proponent
The Nature Conservancy
Contact Person: Liliana S. Pezoa, Conservation Coordinator
Email: lpezoa@tnc.org
Tel.: +5663 2293098

Auditor Contact Details
Rainforest Alliance
Contact: Klaus Geiger, Staff Auditor
Email: kgeiger@ra.org
Tel.: +1 773-358-8427

Public Comment Period (Validation & 1st Verification)
9 October – 8 November 2015

Dates of Auditor’s Site Visit
10-13 November 2015

  • Region, Country Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Region XIV, Chile
  • CCB Status Verification Approved - CCB Standards Third Edition, Biodiversity Gold Level (22 Mar 2016)
    Implementation period: 4 Nov 2003 - 3 Nov 2014

    Validation Approved - CCB Standards Third Edition, Biodiversity Gold Level (22 Mar 2016)
  • CCB Auditor/Certifier Rainforest Alliance (Validation and First Verification)

Carbono Nascentes do Xingu

Project Proponent
Instituto Socioambiental
Contact: Rodrigo Junqueira
Email: rodrigojunqueira@socioambiental.org
Tel: +55 61 3035 5114

Auditor Contact Details
Rainforest Alliance/Imaflora
Contact: Bruno Brazil de Souza
Email: bruno@imaflora.org
Tel: +55 19 3429 0848

Public Comment Periods
Validation: 20 June – 20 July 2016
No comments received

Validation Attempt: 14 January – 13 February 2015
No comments received

First Verification Attempt: 26 February – 25 March 2015
No comments received

Auditor’s Site Visits
Validation and First Verification Attempt: 2-5 March 2015

  • Region, Country Mato Grosso, Brazil
  • CCB Status Validation Approved - CCB Standards Third Edition (16 October 2016)
  • CCB Auditor/Certifier Rainforest Alliance/Imaflora

New Project Documents Open for Public Comment

The following project documents are undergoing public comment:

Project name: Promoting Sustainable Development Through Natural Rubber Tree Plantations in Guatemala
Region, Country: Izabal and Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report
Public comment period: 6 November – 6 December 2014

Project name: BioREDD+ Cajambre REDD+ Project
Region, Country: Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Documentation (Spanish summary)
Public comment period: 11 November – 11 December 2014

Project name: BioREDD+ Mutatá REDD+ Project
Region, Country: Departments of Antioquia and Chocó, Colombia
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Documentation (Spanish summary)
Public comment period: 14 November – 14 December 2014

Project name: BioREDD+ Concosta REDD+ Project
Region, Country: Department of Chocó, Colombia
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Documentation (Spanish summary)
Public comment period: 17 November – 17 December 2014

Project name: HIMA (Hifadhi ya Misitu ya Asili ya jamii) REDD+ Program
Region, Country: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Documentation (Swahili summary); Public comment period: 25 November – 25 December 2014
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Implementation Report (Swahili summary); Public comment period: 1 – 30 December 2014

Project name: BioREDD+ ACABA-Pepe REDD+ Project
Region, Country: Department of Chocó, Colombia
Documents undergoing public comment: Project Design Documentation (Spanish summary)
Public comment period: 3 December 2014 – 2 January 2015

Comments are invited from the public about whether these projects meet the requirements of the CCB Standards. Comments received will be considered by the auditor during the validation and verification process.

Rio Pepe y ACABA

Project Proponent
Consejo Comuntario de Río Pepé
Contact Person: Jhon Fredis Mosquera
Tel: +57 3145688011

Project Proponent
Consejo Comunitario de ACABA
Contact Person: Eduar Melanio Rivas
Email: edu2171@hotmail.com
Tel: +57 314 893 66 15

Auditor Contact Details
Rainforest Alliance
Contact: Janice O’Brien
e-mail: jobrien@ra.org
Phone: +1 647 899 7214

Public comment period (validation)
14 October 2014 – 14 November 2014
No comments received

Expected dates of the Auditor’s site visit
13 October, 4 – 5 November and 14 – 18 December 2014

  • Region, Country Department of Chocó, Colombia
  • CCB Status Validation Approved – CCB Standards Third Edition, Community Gold Level (April 22, 2015)
  • CCB Auditor/Certifier Rainforest Alliance

HIMA (Hifadhi ya Misitu ya Asili ya jamii) REDD+ Program

Project Proponent
Jumuiya ya Uhifadhi Misitu ya Jamii Zanzibar (JUMIJAZA)
Contact Person: Salum Rashid Juma, Vice Chairperson
Email: salimjuma752@yahoo.com
Tel: +255 777 487 497

Project Proponent
Terra Global Capital
Contact Person: Leslie Durschinger, Founder/Managing Director
Email: leslie.durschinger@terraglobalcapital.com
Tel: +1 415 400 4491

Auditor Contact Details
SCS Global Services
Contact: Andres Espejo
e-mail: aespejo@scsglobalservices.com
Phone: +34 678529564

Public Comment period (validation)
25 November – 25 December 2014; 25 March – 24 April 2016

Public Comment period (first verification)
1-30 December 2014 (see comments and responses under Project Documents)
25 March – 24 April 2016 (no comments received)

Expected dates of the Auditor’s site visit
8-14 December 2014