Mekong regional approach to REDD

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Mekong regional approach to REDD

• Pham Manh Cuong
• Werner Kornexl

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Overview

1. General information
2. Rationale for development of regional REDD Prog.
   in the lower Mekong Basin
3. Work has been done
4. Objectives
5. Activities
6. Budget and Institutional management arrangement

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1. General information
Country Total area (Mil. Ha) Forest area (2006) Forest cover (2006 - )
Cambo-dia 18.1 10.7 59.1
Lao 23.1 16.1 69.7
Thailand 51.3 15.9 30.9
Vietnam 33.1 12.6 37.7
Total 125.4 55.2 44.0

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Trends of forest cover changes
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Rationale

• Four countries are located in the lower Mekong
  Basin with similar natural and socio-economic
  situation
• Livelihoods of large parts of population rely on
  agricultural production and exploitation of
  forest products
• Stable biodiversity in Central Annamite Range and
  in the region Environment protection and
  socio-economic development in the delta and
  International water area
• Joined various regional progs All of 4 are
  members of ASEAN and MRC, and GMS Core Env. Prog
• The 7th ASEAN3 Environment Ministers Meeting and
  the 8th Meeting of the ASEAN3 Ministers on
  Agriculture and Forestry (8th AMAF 3) Env.
  Declaration in Oct 2008
• VN and Lao agreement on FLEGT, CC

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Rationale (Cont.)

• Four countries are interested in implementing
  REDD
• Lao PDR and Vietnam was selected by FCPF, Lao
  completed R-Plan, and Vietnam is a pilot country
  of the UN-REDD
• Cambodia and Thailand R-PINs
• All 4 countries established the Climate Change
  Committee and REDD Unit within FA and are
  implementing pilot REDD-related projects
• SFM brings co-benefit to people of 4 countries
  and regional environment benefit
• Donors are interested in supporting regional
  cooperation to avoid international
  leakage/displacement

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s
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Problems

• Competing interests for land resources Natural
  forests have continuously cleared and degraded in
  all countries caused environmental and
  socio-economic probs
• Driving forces and cross-border illegal timber
  trading?
• A lack of capacity and data, and institutional
  barriers
• Risks of the REDD implementation in several
  countries Displacement of emission

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Work has been done

• Regional meetings and discussions among Forest
  Administration Agencies of four countries
• Consultation meetings and communication with
  stakeholders research institutions (Queensland
  Univ., ITC), NGOs (RECOFTC) and several donors
  (USAID, AusAID, ADB, GTZ, The Netherlands, TNC,
  etc.)
• Formulation of Concept Notes on regional
  cooperation in the REDD implementation

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Work has been done

• Regional meetings and discussions with FAs
• Consultation meetings with non-gov. stakeholders
  research institutions, NGOs (RECOFTC), UN-REDD
• Organized pilot technical training workshops in 4
  countries under support of Australia, Germany
  (GTZ), Switzerland (SDC), The Netherlands (SNV,
  ITC), the Nature Conservancy
• Managing Forests in Mekong Countries for Carbon
  Sequestration and REDD Project funded by the Asia
  Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building
  program of Australian Gov and with additional
  funding from SDC, GTZ, SNV.

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Work has been done

• Workshop 1 Preparing for Mitigation of Climate
  Change in the Mekong Region, provided a broad
  overview of REDD issues and the current status of
  REDD in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR
• Workshop 2 Preparing for the Technical Aspects
  of REDD, 3 5 November 2008
• Workshop 3 Role of Local Governance, Civil
  Society and Forest Land Users in a REDD program
  from 5-6 March 2009
• Next workshops will be organized in Lao and
  Cambodia
• ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF)
  FLEGT
• Technical Working Group on FLEGT and regional
  workshops (EC, Germany, WB, AFP and others)

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Objectives

• Overall goal to mitigate CC by reducing GHG
  emission and to support for SD in the lower
  Mekong Basin.
• Objectives To support 4 countries in the region
  to be REDD-Readiness by 2012 in a regionally
  collaborated, coordinated and transparent manner,
  respecting national sovereignty and independence.

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Activities

• Establishment of a technical support facility
• Regional dialogue
• Support to institutional strengthening and
  capacity building to mainstream REDD in Env,
  socio-economic development policies and
  strategies
• Exchange information and experience C projects
  (Cambodia and Lao), Tenasserim Biodiversity
  Corridor (Thai), PES (VN)
• Support to technical capacity building, including
  development of MAV, application of RS data,
  data-sharing and guideline, training manuals

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Activities (Cont.)

• Promoting the participation of relevant
  stakeholders, esp. indigenous people, CSO and
  private sector
• Facilitates policy formulation, and regional
  negotiation and cooperation by quantifying the
  risk of regional leakage
• Strengthening skills in international
  negotiations in CC.

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Budget

• USD 500,000 for 2009
• Total budget for period 2009-2012 USD 3.0 million

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Institutional management arrangement

• Technical support body (TSB) including int. and
  national experts
• Use an existing institutional platform Under
  discussion with the GMS Environment Operations
  Center (EOC), MRC and ASEAN Secs with the
  following considerations
• Legal legitimate
• Capacity to implement the program including
  coverage
• Sustainability (permanence)