CCCFL - HEILONGJIANG FORESTS

The project is to rehabilitate 41 000 ha of young and middle-aged natural and plantation forests, and to plant 11 000 ha of Korean pine nut forest in Heilongjiang province in China.

The project is eligible under the Facility for Energy Sustainability and Security of Supply (ESF). It will be funded under the China Climate Change Framework Loan (CCCFL) which supports the EU-China 2020 strategic agenda for cooperation by promoting sustainable development, biodiversity and sustainable use of forests in particular with the valuation of ecosystem services in China. The project promotes sequestration of carbon through biological growth of sustainably managed plantations. Climate adaptation is addressed by increasing forest cover and building forest root systems that stabilise soils and increase soil water-retention capacity in vulnerable areas so as to decrease the risk of landslides and soil erosion. Therefore the project delivers an important contribution to the Bank's climate action objective. It also contributes to the economic development of the country, covering its rural areas.

The project improves the ecological conditions in Heilongjiang Province through rehabilitating young and middle-aged forests, and planting Korean pine nut forests. The rehabilitated and planted forests will sequester and store carbon, diversify the forest landscape and protect vulnerable areas against soil erosion. They will also support income generation and economic development in remote mountainous areas. The project improves local forest-management capacity. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was completed in 2015.

The Bank will require the promoter to ensure that implementation of the project will be done in accordance with the Bank's Guide to Procurement.