Saturday, 11 October 2014 00:15
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The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka monthly lecture will be delivered by Anura Sathurusinghe, Conservator General of Forest and National Program Director – Sri Lanka UN-REDD Program titled ‘Sri Lanka UN-REDD Program’.
What is REDD-plus? It’s one of the buzzwords in the decades-old climate change negotiations. REDD-plus (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) became part of the ever-expanding climate change lexicon in 2005. It’s easy enough to remember, but the issues surrounding REDD-plus are far from one-dimensional.
Reducing emissions from deforestation (RED) only included changes from forest to non-forest land. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) also covers land-use changes to forest areas with lower carbon stocks. REDD+ includes “restocking within and towards forests.” In a nutshell, REDD-plus aims to incentivise sustainable forest management. Developed countries would compensate developing countries for undertaking initiatives that could cut their deforestation rate. This is considered an important mitigation action because approximately 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation.
Aside from decreasing greenhouse gases (carbon), then, the discourse on REDD-plus has expanded to include and highlight what have become known as “non-carbon benefits,” such as better governance, strengthened biodiversity conservation and social empowerment. REDD-plus – if done responsibly – can bring a wealth of benefits to forest-dependent communities, such as preservation and improvement of traditional livelihoods and direct payments. For environmental protection, it is a strategic effort to ensure thriving and sustainable forests and ecosystems. The key is to implement it within a framework of social accountability, the main objective of which is to ensure that resources are used equitably, efficiently and in accordance with guiding policies and rules.
The monthly lecture will be delivered on Thursday 23 October at 6:15 p.m. at the Department of Meteorology Auditorium, 383, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7 (opposite BMICH). All are welcome and entrance is free.
