As seen on Ecosystem Marketplace
Tanzania launches public consultation on a draft of its national REDD+ strategy. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s drafting of its own national REDD+ strategy is on the rocks” as civic society organizations criticize its lack of community engagement. Across the Pacific” WOCAN” Pact” and RRI release new studies on women’s involvement in forest management in Asia.
This article was originally published in the Forest Carbon newsletter
6 August 2012| The call for community engagement as a subset of REDD readiness was reinforced through various outlets these past few weeks” whether in stories around Free” Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) or in studies exploring the potential to engage women more actively in forestry leadership roles.
In the wake of an FPIC field dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)” the REDD Climate Working Group – made up of national and local environment and development NGOs in DRC – suspended its participation in the working groups that were intended to produce the first draft of a national REDD strategy. In open letters to DRC's Environment Minister” GTCR criticized the lack of effective public and community engagement in national REDD+ policymaking” calling for a more decentralized consultation process for all stakeholders involved. In the meantime” DRC's eastern neighbor Tanzania is seeking comment by email on the second draft of its own national REDD+ strategy.
New studies are out on the status of women's tenure and leadership around forest management in Asia. WOCAN and Pact write on Cambodia” while the Rights and Resources Initiative writes on Indonesia” China” Nepal” and the Philippines.
Moving down to the subnational level” the Electric Power Research Institute released a massive 160-page report that reviews the progress of 14 subnational REDD+ programs around the world – offering in-depth looks at REDD+ programs in Acre and Mato Grosso in Brazil” Chiapas in Mexico” and Aceh in Indonesia.
While Bosques Amazónicos received VCS validation for its Peruvian REDD project last week” another Latin American project is emerging in Brazil's State of Amapá” where the state government is laying the foundations for a partnership over a REDD+ project in the State Forest with London-based investor Permian Global.