By Daphne Rasehei & Hope Imaka – EM TV Online
National stakeholders received expert training to enhance their understanding of REDD+ as a climate change mitigation strategy and learned about the potential role for REDD+ to promote sustainable development in Papua New Guinea.
With the support of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility REDD+ Readiness Rroject and UNDP, the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) organised the REDD+ Expert Training Event that places much emphasis on policies and measures to implement REDD+.
37 participants from the government, civil society groups and the private sector attended the workshop held in Kimbe, West New Britain.
Part of the global response in effectively addressing the problem of climate change has been to encourage developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, known as REDD+.
As an active member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, PNG has been making its contributions to reducing global emissions by taking steps towards developing a national REDD+ strategy.
The purpose of the training was to ensure that the REDD+ strategy is in line with national priorities in each sector, participants visited Stettin Bay Lumber Company logging sit’s and New Britain Palm Oil Limited plantations and biogas plant providing to identify the practices that act as drivers of deforestation but can also contribute to sustainable conservation and management of forests in PNG.
This is just the beginning of an ongoing initiative that began in 2015 which enables the country to take necessary steps towards establishing capacities for efficient management of REDD+ and the National REDD+ Strategy.
“We want to build a pool of experts who understand what the REDD+ initiative is and how it can be implemented in Papua New Guinea,” said Peter Katapa, Project Manager for FCPF – REDD+ readiness project.
On the last day of the workshop participants deliberated policies and measures that would be appropriate for PNG to adopt in order to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while conserving forests and boosting more sustainable economic development.
“One of the main agents driving deforestation and forest degradation is our people practicing shifting agriculture. A well thought-out national plan on how people use land will help address this problem,” said Roy Banka, Project Coordinator for the National Forest Inventory project.
Since PNG intends to have a draft national REDD+ strategy by the end of 2016, the next REDD+ Expert training event in August 2016 will encourage full participation of relevant stakeholders in formulation of this strategy.
