Our environment today is our most valued resource and the sooner we realize that, the better for us. The backroom boys have delivered their verdict “act now or perish”. The effects of global warming and climate change are evident and calls for urgent action is getting louder by the day. The challenge is to fashion a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.
“Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure.". Urges, John McConnell, founder of International Earth day,
Africa has been severely affected by the effects of climate change despite contributing very little to global warming. Nevertheless, it has a responsibility to play in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions as well as adapt to climate change. It has been predicted that the region will continue to experience more dramatic droughts and floods, and a totally different weather pattern.
For the region to address the challenges of adaptation and mitigation, it needs substantial financial resources, information systems, technical capacity and the right policies and institutions. The answer may lie in REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), is a mechanism to create an incentive for developing countries to protect, better manage and wisely use their forest resources, thus contributing to the global fight against climate change and reap financial rewards as well.
The basic idea of REDD was to create a system of positive initiatives to persuade developing countries to reduce their deforestation rates. It was also seen as a way of bringing developing nations to the climate change table by some industrialized nations.
It is being viewed as a compromise between the already developed countries responsible for climate change and developing nations seeking to develop in the same path thus a win –win option with co-benefits. It was given global status after its inclusion in the Bali Map at COP 13 the UNFCCC held in Indonesia in 2007.
The UN-REDD Programme, was then launched in September 2008, in collaboration with the world bank, to help developing countries strengthen their capacity to take advantage of the immense opportunities offered by REDD to transform them to green and sustainable economies.
REDD+ is a term used to refer to enhanced efforts that go beyond reducing deforestation and forest degradation to include the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. It strives to make forests more valuable standing than cut down, by creating a financial value for the carbon stored in standing trees.
REDD+ means that farmers in developing countries can now be compensated for the carbon offsets they provide. It is widely seen as an attractive way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously conserving forests and sustaining rural livelihoods.
REDD has been received with great enthusiasm in the region not surprisingly, with the prospects of reaping the tens of billions of dollars that researchers have estimated REDD could generate annually. It is generating a lot of interest within the East African region with debates on how the region could increasingly get involved in REDD+ mitigation activities.
Planning has included the preparation of Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) that outlines the processes by which governments will develop national strategies to achieve REDD objectives and participation in the evolving international mechanism for reducing emissions.
Even though the REDD+ strategy is in place, the details of the mechanism are still under development and as a result, it remains unclear exactly how emission reduction will be rewarded in the future. This calls for forward thinking and flexibility in planning and strategizing to take into account the evolving nature of REDD+ mechanism. Expectations of REDD+ mechanisms have to be carefully managed as well.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are starting to pilot REDD+ projects and currently in the process of developing national REDD+ plans. The process of REDD+ implementation has started through national planning processes and the development of pilot projects, giving some sense of what REDD+ might look like in practice.
Kenya was one of 14 countries to receive funds in the first round of the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, a scheme to kick-start REDD projects in developing nations. There is particular interest in the REDD+ incentive system as payments can be linked to performance. In addition, REDD+ may be more cost-effective than other emission-reduction policies.
The East African countries have started to implement legal, institutional and policy reforms to fast track the development of REDD and ensure they reap maximum benefits from it. However, it is unclear how the benefits arising from REDD should be shared. Of main concern are the rights of indigenous communities and land rights.
Land rights and tenure pose the major challenge being faced by countries in the region. Indigenous peoples and forest communities face the risk of evictions from forests as witnessed in some countries and those without tenure may not be able to claim compensation under REDD.
The complex yet lucrative market based approaches to REDD discourages community participation and encourages fraud and corruption. Criminal activities relating to carbon credit transactions by both state and individuals are likely to cause a major problem and this does not bode well for the interests of the communities whose territories are being targeted for REDD projects.
VAT avoidance, credits from fraudulent or non-existent projects, double counting, and the resale of retired credits, have all been happening and therefore the emissions trading system can easily be manipulated and abused if proper checks and balances are not put in place. Unfortunately, there aren’t any globally agreed guidelines and safeguards in place either.
REDD provides an enabling environment for developing countries to better cope with the impacts of climate change: Populations are better placed to adopt to the impacts of climate change such as prolonged droughts, flooding and changes in crop yields due to rising temperatures. It is an important factor in enabling climate change adaptation, helping to protect biodiversity and reducing erosion, whilst building resilience of local livelihoods and resources.
There are many unanswered questions concerning REDD, yet players are determined to get a mechanism for REDD established in some form or another as soon as possible. It is now up to the relevant authorities to take up the REDD agenda, facilitate its implementation, ensure the costs and benefits are shared equitably and most importantly, respect the rights of forest and indigenous communities.
REDD project brings substantial benefits to local communities in education, job creation, environmental protection and direct financial rewards, while protecting precious biodiversity at the same time, and proves that well designed, well managed REDD projects can succeed in Africa.
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