14 avril 2015
11:00 - 21:00 hrs. Palmerai Palace Convention Center
Marrakech
, Maroc
On 14 April 2015, UNCTAD jointly organized with UNEP DTU Partnership, a workshop on "Harvesting opportunities for REDD+" on the occasion of the African Carbon Forum 2015. The activity was part of the ongoing collaboration between UNCTAD and the Nairobi Framework Partnership and the UNFCCC process.
In the run up to the UNFCCC Paris Conference in December 2015, countries are actively articulating how REDD+ schemes could be incorporated in national forestry policy to safeguard forest assets and ecosystem services for future generations. Today, degradation of forests due to human influence accounts for a large share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally (17-29 % of total emissions), thus becoming a major driver of global climate change. About 80% of global above-ground carbon is stored in forests, especially in countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Congo and Zimbabwe, making forestry policy a key area for climate change mitigation. The event raised awareness about REDD+ opportunities that can help preserve forests while enabling livelihoods for communities and countries.
Neeta Hooda from the World Bank mentioned that her experience with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and BioCarbon Fund shows that there is no one-size-fits all recipe for managing the forests. Instead, every country must find its own nationally-acceptable strategy. There is an enormous mitigating potential in forestry programmes, and the lead up to and post-Paris years represent an opportunity to raise ambition on REDD+ and include similar pledges in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The World Bank can assist countries in this process through ongoing support in countries and by providing the technical knowledge.
According to Sigurd Klakeg from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway supports climate financing, in particular REDD+. It has committed to reducing GHG emissions domestically and globally. During the first commitment period of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), it has purchased around 22 million credits from the mechanism, which amounts to 200 million euros. Norway has also engaged in forest-based climate change mitigation initiatives such as the Norwegian Government's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), which supports REDD+ efforts and has an annual budget of approximately 400 million euros. Norway is also involved in a Carbon Procurement Program, which seeks to pay above-market prices for CDM credits, effectively supporting CDM projects in contexts of low market prices for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).
Representatives from Zimbabwe and Ghana illustrated on-the ground actions and challenges on forest conservation, including issues of immediate importance to further develop forest stewardship. Linking national efforts with broader REDD+ frameworks is also crucial.
Yaw Kwakye from Ghana's forestry authority stressed that the main drivers for deforestation were unsustainable agriculture, timber and charcoal production, as well as the growing urbanization and infrastructure needs. Institutional shortcomings and policy gaps are also factors which have contributed to forest degradation. Ghana is looking for ways to improve its economic productivity in its forests, including large scale projects amounting to 5.9 million hectares, by bringing in private sector participation and profiting from successful lessons gained in nearby countries.
Soon after being admitted to the UN REDD+ Programme, Zimbabwe started awareness raising activities and has engaged in capacity building on how to estimate carbon stocks. It has launched 2 pilot projects and is actively seeking best-practice experiences from other countries. Among the challenges identified are unclearly defined property rights, inadequate safeguards, the need for a comprehensive forest policy review, as well as inadequate financing and a not yet fully developed REDD+ strategy. On the other hand, it is worth noting that Zimbabwe enjoys a strong political support for REDD+ project development and for investment in the forest and environment sectors.
The presentations and discussions at the event show that stronger REDD+ payments for forest-based climate change mitigation are increasingly perceived and made use of as very important for forest preservation and climate change mitigation. However, REDD+ alone is not a sufficient condition to protect forested areas. To complement benefits from REDD+ payments, ensure REDD+ project sustainability and fully engage local populations to protect forested areas, additional sources of livelihoods are necessary to create a multi-layered system of various income streams in forest areas (REDD+ as well as eco-tourism, BioTrade and orchestrated energy policies).
UNCTAD's Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi welcomed the African Carbon Forum and expressed that initiatives to help African countries preserve forests with livelihood enhancements from surrounding ecosystems, such as the sustainable harvest, production and trade of biodiversity products through BioTrade, should be strengthened and expanded.
Presentations : http://www.africacarbonforum.com/2015/english/presentations.htm
Co-organisateur(s):
UNEP DTU Partnership
Langue(s)
English |
Sites correspondants:
