Information on experiences and views on needs for technical and institutional capacity-building and cooperation. Submissions from Parties.

Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)

In English:  Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD):  A Participant Resource Manual
(2363 kB) En español:  Curso Introductorio sobre la Reducción de las Emisiones de la Deforestación y Degradación (REDD):  Manual de Recursos del Participante (4888 kB)
En français:  Cours d'introduction sur le dispositif de Réduction des émissions liées à la déforestation et à la dégradation des forêts (REDD):  Manuel de référence des participants (5622 kB)

This manual was created through a collaborative effort of the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA); Conservation International (CI); GTZ; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Rainforest Alliance (RA); and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The manual contains basic information on various aspects of REDD, including: forests' role in climate change, drivers of deforestation, strategies to reduce deforestation, REDD technical elements, international policy context, social considerations, biodiversity and ecosystem considerations, national-level activities, project standards, and project development. It was created to support training workshops that our organizations are implementing in various countries, but can also serve as a source of background information for those new to REDD.

In English:  Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD):  A Training Manual (1942 kB)
En español:  Curso Introductorio sobre la Reducción de las Emisiones de la Deforestación y Degradación (REDD):  Manual de Capacitación (2879 kB)
En français:  Cours d'introduction sur le dispositif REDD - Réduction des émissions liées à la déforestation et à la dégradation des forêts:  Manuel de formation (1913 kB)

This manual was created through a collaborative effort of the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA); Conservation International (CI); GTZ; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Rainforest Alliance (RA); and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This manual contains suggestions for interactive ways to present basic information on REDD to a wide variety of audiences.

For more information on these documents, contact:  Rane Cortez, Forest Carbon Policy Advisor, The Nature Conservancy, 
< rcortez@tnc.org >

The Coalition for Rainforest Nations is carrying out this capacity development initiative for REDD with the support of the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation Agency), the BMU (German Ministry of Environment), the FCPF (Forest Carbon Partnership Facility) of the World Bank, the GEF (Global Environmental Facility), the INPE (Brazilian Space Research Agency), the Indian Forest Service and GOFC-GOLD (Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics).

"CD REDD will work at the international level: global workshops and training courses will be organized on topics of common interest and will provide the opportunity for information sharing among countries. CD REDD is open to all possible REDD countries (delegates from almost 40 countries will participate) and at least two persons from each country will be financially supported to attend all workshops. Experts from national institutions in charge of preparing ‘National Communications’, as required by the UNFCCC, will also be invited." (excerpt from the CD REDD concept note).

For more information on CD REDD, see the following pdf-file:
CD REDD concept note (80 kB)

USAID, along with the U.S. Department of State, spends approximately $90 million annually to reduce deforestation, increase sequestration, and enhance sustainable forest management.  Some examples of USAID programs include:

• Spending $30 million annually for conservation in the Amazon, including the Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon and over $100 million since 2002 to targeted conservation programs as part of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
• Working with the Center for International Forestry (CIFOR) to create a suite of training modules on topics related to forests and climate change, including modules on carbon accounting, forest management, trading carbon from forests, and international policy.
• Assessing forest conservation and natural resources management programs – in countries such as Indonesia, Liberia and Bolivia – to see how they can be redesigned, to better incorporate forest climate practices and policies.

Further information:

• Link to USAID website on sustainable landscapes
• Link to USAID website on forestry
• USAID's biodiversity conservation and forestry programs, FY 2007 (6706 kB)

USFS has developed research-based adaptation strategies, carbon sequestration models and a body of collaborative resource management practices applied in more than fifty countries around the world.  Some of the relevant areas where the USFS is working:

• Reducing deforestation and restoring degraded lands;
• Improving the management and conservation of forests and grasslands;
• Fostering the use of sustainably produced wood for energy, and as a substitute for other more energy-intensive materials; and
• Research, decision support tools and innovative policies for the future.
  

In the past year, the USFS has continued to develop robust partnerships around the world to address the threat of climate change. USFS scientists are cooperating with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) to quantify the contribution of mangrove forests to carbon sequestration and emissions.  In collaboration with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), the USFS helped sponsor a large conference in Sweden focusing on the challenge of adapting forests ecosystems and dependent communities to climate change. Finally, the USFS is providing technical support to World Bank FCPF recipient countries such as Liberia, Vietnam and Mexico and other bilateral partners to improve inventory and forest management systems in order to advance global efforts at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

• Link to USFS website on climate change and forests

EPA is helping developing countries build national inventory management systems and offers two sets of tools, consistent with UNFCCC reporting guidelines and available through the web-link below.

• National System Templates that can accommodate varying levels of national capacity and documents and institutionalize the inventory management process.
• Targeted data collection strategies and software tools to assist developing countries in moving to higher Tier IPCC methods.

In particular, the U.S. EPA—along with USAID and the University of Colorado—is working with forest inventory teams in developing countries to enhance technical capacity and develop sustainable inventory management systems. This work has included development of a software tool that provides support for estimating the majority of emissions and removals from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry and Agriculture. Thus far, the program has assisted 7 Central American countries and is currently working with 6 Southeast Asian countries on their national greenhouse gas inventories for land use, land use change and forestry, and agriculture.

• Link to EPA's GHG inventory capacity building programs
• Link to the ALU software program
• If you have additional questions regarding these tools, please contact U.S. EPA's Climate Change Division by sending an email to: climatechange@epa.gov