March 2019 - May 2019
IN THIS ISSUE:
 
 
We are happy to share this first newsletter of 2019 with you, filled with good news.
 
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 - 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, aiming at job creation, food security and addressing climate change through massive restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems that could remove up to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
 
In a potentially game-changing decision the Green Climate Fund Board approved its first payment for REDD+ to Brazil. Equally historic, Norway and Indonesia have agreed on a first payment under the two nations' 2010 agreement after Indonesia reduced its rate of deforestation in 2017.
 
Mozambique and DRC signed Emission Reductions Payment Agreements with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), unlocking performance-based payments of up to US$105 million. In a guest blog from the World Bank you can read how this will positively impact people's lives in Mozambique. 
 
In the Asia Pacific region Viet Nam has become the first country to complete the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ after fulfilling the UNFCCC safeguards requirements. 

Finally, under 'Videos' you will find three new films highlighting UN-REDD's work in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. We plan to feature Africa in the next issue and the LAC region after that.
 
We hope you enjoy this issue and wish you a very happy International Day of Forests later this month! 

 
REDD+ IN THE NEWS
Indonesia to get first payment from Norway under $1b REDD+ scheme
20 February 2019 |Mongabay
Link  
Green Climate Fund makes first payment to Brazil for efforts to reduce deforestation
Zooterra Partners with Wildlife Works to Reimagine how People Support Nature Conservation
21 February 2019 | PRWeb
PUBLICATIONS
Feuille de route pour la mise en œuvre des recommandations sur l'amélioration du cadre juridique du processus REDD+ à Madagascar
Synthèse de l'évaluation des besoins nationaux liés à la mise en œuvre de la REDD+ à Madagascar
Evaluation des besoins pour le développement d'une approche nationale REDD+ à Madagascar
Préparation juridique de Madagascar a la REDD+
Scoping private sector opportunities in Ethiopia- how to stimulate both economic development and REDD+ implementation?
FOREST NEWS
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 - 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo Sign Landmark Deals with World Bank to Cut Carbon Emissions and Reduce Deforestation
12 February 2019 | The World Bank
Creating opportunities for a new forestry economy in Mozambique
Lessons from China on large scale landscape restauration
Peatlands are highlighted on World Wetlands Day for their vital role in mitigating climate change
 
JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES 
Forestry Officer (Climate Finance and REDD+)
Coordinator (REDD+) Forest Policy and Resources Division
Forestry Officer (FAO-EU FLEGT)
Spécialiste en MNV et REDD+
WATCH

Cambio Climático y Bosques - Región Monte Cambio Climático y Bosques - Región Monte


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PERSPECTIVES
Mekong, Mumbai, and Beyond: Regionally-Developed Tool Expands to Support Global Forest Monitoring

Since land cover mapping in the lower Mekong has been challenging in the past, based primarily on outdated maps using different criteria, Dr. David Saah, founder and Managing Principal of the Spatial Informatics Group (SIG), and his team started looking for a solution.  

Forestry Education, Good Governance, and the Future of Youth Action

Good forest governance is key to all multi-stakeholder dialogues, and youth involvement extends beyond just the forestry education to other sectors critical to the SDGs. Here are a number of successful examples.  

STORIES
The Bangladesh Forest Information System (BFIS): connecting people and resources/data for better forest management and conservation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. Decision makers require reliable data as a first step towards taking effective action to minimize these impacts. The role of the forest sector in such efforts and the availability of comprehensive forest data is a critical factor for planning actions to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Vietnam after nine years of REDD+ Readiness

Nine years since the launch of the UN-REDD Viet Nam Phase I Programme, Vietnam has marked a milestone at the end of 2018, by closing its Phase II Programme. What have these nine years achieved, and what has it meant for REDD+ in general and Vietnam in particular?

Local communities are key forest stakeholders, and their involvement in decision-making and sustainable management of forests generates positive outcomes for livelihoods, rural development, and forest conservation. In particular, countries in Latin America are advancing in the process of developing the concepts of community forestry as a collaborative governance approach to forest management.

What shifting cultivation means for Lao PDR's forest reference levels

Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic (PDR) is defined by a mountainous North and the Mekong River valley. With an estimated  3,000 varieties , rice is king in both areas. Lowland paddies are interspersed with trees, while the rainfed upland ecosystem has traditionally been under a slash-and-burn system.

Bamboo in Ethiopia: can it help stimulate its economy while at the same time help achieve REDD+ objectives?

Forests are one of the vital renewable natural resources that support the livelihoods of millions of people in Ethiopia. They provide a wide range of goods and ecosystem services including food, medicine, energy, shelter, clean water, land stabilization, erosion control, biodiversity protection and regulation of climate change by serving as a carbon sink.


Viet Nam becomes the first country in Asia-Pacific to fulfill the Warsaw Framework for REDD+

Viet Nam has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to complete the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ after fulfilling the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) safeguards requirements.

The carbon market for aviation - issues under discussion and possibilities for REDD+
 
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has advanced much towards setting the rules for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or  CORSIA . Under this scheme, airlines will cap emissions at 2020 levels and offset any increase above this threshold. In the absence of a major technological breakthrough, significant amounts of offsetting will be required.

Reporting on REDD+ safeguards
 
Are you involved in preparing REDD+ summaries of safeguards information? Here's what you can learn from other countries reporting on REDD+ safeguards

Ramping up private investment to halt deforestation and transition to sustainable agricultural production
 
Over the past few years, the UN-REDD Programme has scaled up its activities on finance and private-sector engagement. The rationale behind this is that if countries are going to successfully reduce and remove emissions, it is critical to know which sectors are the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in order to implement the right measures to reverse these negative trends.

Agroforestry: a path to sustainable cocoa and forest restoration in Côte d'Ivoire
 
How to produce forest friendly chocolate in Cote d'Ivoire, where high  rates of deforestation led to a  major drop in rainfall and other devastating alterations in local climatic conditions. We follow Sougue Kadjatou, a 45-year-old farmer who lives with her husband and two children in Agboville.   

Argentina´s REDD+ National Strategy: Combining a participatory process with sound technical analysis
 
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), through REDD+, calls for parties to develop a national strategy that includes concrete actions and measures to address deforestation and forest degradation. Latin American countries have followed different processes according to each country's specific dynamics. Argentina's case offers interesting attributes.  

Estrategia Nacional REDD+ de Argentina: Combinando un proceso participativo con un análisis técnico robusto
 
La Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático (CMNUCC), a través de REDD+, solicita a las partes, desarrollar una estrategia nacional en donde plasmen las acciones y medidas concretas para abordar la problemática de la deforestación y degradación de los bosques. Los países de la región latinoamericana han seguido procesos distintos, en consistencia con las dinámicas propias de cada país. El caso argentino ofrece atributos muy interesantes.

Ghana's vision for REDD+: Sustainable cocoa production and farmer livelihoods
 
As one of the leading countries on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in Africa, Ghana has demonstrated considerable leadership to address the drivers of deforestation and degradation, which constitute one of the most compelling climate change challenges in the country.

Creating opportunities for a new forestry economy in Mozambique
 
When I tell people that I am a forest specialist, they sometimes assume my work is forest first, people second. But the really exciting part of my job is that better forests make better communities.  There is mounting evidence that forest management improves people's livelihoods all over the world. Standing forests are worth much more than cut ones and we are setting out to prove this in Mozambique, where protecting forests is among the fastest and most affordable ways to cut emissions and promote sustainable development.


UN-REDD PROGRAMME NEWS

The Argentine Republic has a native forest cover of 53.6 million hectares (ha), distributed in seven diverse regions that range from temperate forests to subtropical forests. The loss of coverage of native forests has had a great impact on the country's forestry sector. Deforestation continues to be relevant, despite its slowdown in recent years. 


La República Argentina presenta una cobertura de bosques nativos de 53,6 millones de hectáreas (ha), distribuida en siete regiones forestales que abarcan desde bosques templados hasta selvas subtropicales. La pérdida de cobertura de bosques nativos ha tenido un gran impacto en el sector forestal del país. La deforestación sigue siendo un tema prioritario, a pesar de su desaceleración en los últimos años. 


A training marked the launch of capacity building efforts on the new UN-REDD Gender Marker Rating System, an effort to promote gender equality within the 2018-2020 Technical Assistance Programme by establishing a clear framework for identifying areas for mainstreaming gender and for monitoring progress.


COUNTRY REDD+ ADVANCES 
Managing wildfires in Sudan using satellite remote sensing data 


The increase in forest wildfires around the world also threatens the long-term permanence of carbon stocks in all types of forests, as well as forest regeneration and reforestation projects. Many countries in Africa are particularly vulnerable to this threat, with Sudan being one of them. How the country is rethinking its fire management and monitoring in the framework of its REDD+ activities, and how can innovations in national forest monitoring facilitate the process?

Latest FREL submission shows Nigeria's progress on monitoring forest resources

As the most populated country in Africa, Nigeria is facing enormous pressure on its natural resources. T he Federal Government of Nigeria is determined to protect and sustainably manage its remaining forest resources and, therefore, embarked upon REDD+ with  support  of the  UN-REDD Programme  - which supported a national programme from 2012 to 2016, and the  Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) .

This resource is made possible through the generous support of the European Commission and the governments of Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.

Content provided by UN-REDD Programme staff, partner countries and guests.

All images used courtesy of license holder or through Creative Commons license.