REDD Mapping, Baseline Piloting and Local Stakeholders Consultations

The favorable nod of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) to allow the discussion of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in the post Kyoto scenario presents both opportunities and serious questions to forest-based communities in Asia and elsewhere. Although the REDD scheme potentially provides a finance mechanism to conserve natural forests, doubts about equitable benefit sharing, effective governance arrangements, land tenure security and methodological concerns, among others, make REDD an appealing yet issue-laden topic. The NTFP-EP and its project partners, the legal defense group, ULAN (Upholding Life and Nature) and the indigenous peoples organization, KEF (Kalahan Educational Foundation), along with other NGOs and Peoples organizations in various Asian countries, will explore the potentials of REDD and its applicability for community partners in the Philippines and also for Southeast Asian partners in the region. In the face of growing dominance of extractive industries promising economic gain to local communities, more environmentally sound economic solutions with potentially less negative environmental impacts need to be investigated. REDD is potentially one such concept. NTFP-EP seeks to collaborate with local governments, southern and northern organizations on “unpacking” the REDD concept and making it a potentially workable tool /incentive for sustainable, community forest management. The main goals of this project are 1) to increase understanding and guide action on REDD in the Philippines, and possibly other Southeast Asian countries, as a potential financing scheme for forest conservation an 2) To strengthen the voice of indigenous groups, forest-based communities and civil society in the Philippines and in neighboring SEA countries in the REDD discourse and in UNFCC discussions. The specific objectives include a) To provide the opportunity for Philippine and Southeast Asian forest-based groups and civil society partners to consider opportunities and possible threats of REDD through in depth consultations of the emerging REDD program; b) To map out potential areas for REDD program implementation in the Philippines; c) To generate grass-roots recommendations and detail action plans for REDD implementation to be provided to the Philippine government and to be presented in Cop 15 and d) To pilot a carbon sequestration capacity building baseline measurement and cost determination sub-project with a select community.