THE Ministry of Natural Resources through its US$3.8 million Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Project has begun drafting a National Strategy for Guyana to implement Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

According to a release from the Ministry, the strategy’s completion is expected in November 2019 and will ultimately help the country to maintain its low rate of deforestation and forest degradation.

In April 2018, the Ministry contracted a group of consultants to prepare the REDD+ Strategy which included Climate Law and Policy, Winrock International, Slyvan Acres and Conservation International (CI) Guyana.
Thus far, CI has engaged key stakeholders from government, private sector, civil society and indigenous or forest dependent communities to review the draft assessment of governance.

This engagement also served to gather additional data on the analysis of indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, taking into consideration both past and possible future drivers.
In addition, the Ministry utilized a Social Environmental and Strategic Assessment (SESA) and an Environment and Social Management Framework (ESMF) which are critical to the REDD+ Strategy.

It will help to address environmental and social priorities for land use taking into consideration expected local, regional and global benefits and opportunity costs of conserving forests.
As a part of Guyana’s REDD+ Readiness Process, it must pursue REDD+ related policies, procedures and programmes and strengthen monitoring, reporting and verification systems.

Meanwhile, the FCPF Project supports key REDD+ Readiness Activities aimed at building Guyana’s capacity to implement REDD+, mainly through creating the organisational structures and fostering an environment which attracts future investment projects for carbon emission reduction.