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Degradation (REDD+). The Government of Sri Lanka, the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Forest Department of the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy are the main implementing partners of the program launched as a triple collaboration of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) of the United Nations. It will also be part of a future international comprehensive agreement to tackle global warming, which is currently being negotiated through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
REDD+ will be implemented on a voluntary basis as no country will be obliged to take on such a commitment if they see no benefit in doing so. Under a REDD+ mechanism, industrialised countries are expected to provide positive incentives to Sri Lanka and other developing countries in exchange of verified information which proves that they have improved forest and land use management practices. Sri Lanka will carry out the procedures in this regard by measuring the emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, caused through clearance of 
forests or loss of forest quality. The country will aim to reduce the levels of these emissions over time, and thus qualify for the positive incentives.
Inaugurating the UN-REDD Sri Lanka program, Minister Susil Premajayatha expressed gratitude to UN-REDD for providing funding for the implementation of Sri Lanka’s REDD readiness proposal. He expressed that the program would provide an opportunity to equip the country with knowledge and capacity required to implement a national level REDD program. While affirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to combating human induced climate change challenges, he added that the inception of the UN-REDD national program was an important step forward in this regard.
Speaking at the launch, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy said that in the post-conflict accelerated development of the country, initiatives like the UN-REDD Program could provide opportunities to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the development. He also proposed ways to share the benefits of development with multiple stakeholder groups adding to the fact that through such initiatives, Sri Lanka would be able to become a global model in environmental management.
Executive Summary of UN-REDD Policy
Through an exclusive Executive Summary of the national document on this UN collaborative program it is stressed that as a signatory to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Sri Lanka is committed to addressing the threat of human-induced climate change in all sectors, both by increasing the resilience of its people and ecosystems through adaptation measures, and by decreasing the intensity of climate change itself through mitigation measures.
“Sri Lanka’s forests can make a significant contribution to both adaptation and mitigation. The Government, under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment, seeks to maximise this contribution by developing a national strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+).
“The nation’s forests are of global significance, in social, environmental and historical terms. As an island, Sri Lanka’s two million ha of forests are rich in endemic species of flora and fauna. They are also host to the remnants of a unique ancient civilisation, in which power rested with those who controlled waterways and irrigation systems. The indigenous ‘Veddha’ people retain a wealth of knowledge and wisdom on the important products and services that these unique ecosystems provide,” the document states.
Having emerged only recently from a debilitating 30-year internal conflict, many areas of the country were cut off from development 
and economic growth. Sri Lanka’s forests are therefore particularly vulnerable as roads and other infrastructure will expand. Moreover, home garden systems, known as ‘forest analogues,’ cover 22% of the land area and contribute the majority of the country’s timber and fuel-wood supply. As the tea and rubber industries continue to grow, it is essential that this crucial aspect of the rural economy is preserved.
The unique value of Sri Lanka’s forests, and the nature of the threat they face, makes the country a strong candidate for an effective National REDD+ Program. To help prepare for such a Program, the Government of Sri Lanka submits this National Program Document (NPD) to the UN-REDD Policy Board.
This document is based on the information set out in Sri Lanka’s Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP), which was approved at the 8th meeting of the UN-REDD Policy Board in March 2012. The results framework provided in Component 5 of the R-PP has been revised through discussions among implementing partners – the Government of Sri Lanka and the three UN agencies that make up the UN-REDD partnership: the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It now describes the contribution of the UN-REDD Program, and the specific role of each implementing partner, towards the comprehensive strategy set out in the R-PP. The updated results framework forms the core of this document.
The results framework describes how US$ 4 million of investment from the UN-REDD Program will be mobilised for REDD+ Readiness, and also indicates the contribution of co-financing, in grant or in kind, from UNDP, FAO, the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) service and the Government of Sri Lanka, which together add an estimated USD 1.58 million to the UN-REDD funds. To date, Sri Lanka has not received funding from any other source for implementing elements of the R-PP, or other activities related to REDD+ Readiness, and no such funds are anticipated at the time of submission of this document. However, there are several other ongoing initiatives that will help to achieve REDD+ Readiness, and ultimately to reduce emissions from the forestry sector.
Readying towards REDD+ Readiness
The UN-REDD Program works with over 40 countries around the world to help them get ready for REDD+. Among the services that the UN-REDD Program will provide to Sri Lanka are, capacity development for national forest monitoring systems, multi-stakeholder consultation processes, and the development of a national REDD+ strategy that identifies policies and actions to reduce pressure on forests and ensure their sustainable management.
Adding further to its clarification on the implementing process of the program the exclusive executive summary of the national document of REDD+ also states that the successful implementation of the Sri Lanka National UN-REDD Program, in parallel with the other initiatives outlined, will be necessary, but not sufficient, for achievement of REDD+ Readiness.
“The program must be implemented alongside a comprehensive, sustainable and long-term commitment, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, to sustainable, integrated land-use management and planning and a political and legislative structure focused on the development of a green economy” it says.
Pix courtesy UN FAO
