Why in news?
Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released National REDD+ Strategy, which will help to fulfill India’s NDC commitment under Paris Agreement of climate change.
Background
COP 11, 2005 at Montreal Coalition of 9 rainforest nations sought attention to growing threat of deforestation and introduced concept of Reducing Emission from
Deforestation (RED)
COP 12, 2006 at Nairobi ‘Compensated Conservation’ policy introduced by India intended to compensate countries for maintaining and increasing carbon pools of their
forests.
COP 13, 2007 at Bali ‘Compensated Conservation’ policy approach finally recognized
COP 16, 2010 at Cancun Official entry of REDD as a UNFCCC-enabled mitigation mechanism
COP 19, 2013 at Warsaw It agreed on Warsaw REDD+ framework
• Finance: It encourages financing entities, including the Green Climate Fund in a key role, to channel adequate and predictable results-based finance in a fair and balanced manner, and increasing the number of countries that are in a position to obtain and receive payments for results-based actions
• It recognizes the importance of incentivizing non-carbon benefits for the long-term sustainability.
• It encourages Parties and the private sector to take actions to reduce the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation
• It encourages stakeholders to meet, on a voluntary basis to address issues relating to coordination of support
• Modalities for national forest monitoring systems: It should be guided by IPCC guidance and provide data and information that are transparent and consistent over time.
• Framing procedures for the technical assessment to support capacity- building for development and assessment of forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels.
Need for National REDD+ Strategy
• Forest is the second-largest land use in India after agriculture.
• Forestry sector in India can make positive contribution for climate change mitigation like carbon mitigation
services of India’s forest by improving carbon stocks (carbon pools).
• As estimated, REDD+ programme could provide for capture of around 1 billion tonnes of additional CO 2 over the next 3 decades and significant financial incentives as carbon services under REDD+ including flow of positive incentives to local communities.
National REDD+ Strategy
The strategy seeks to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and also developing a roadmap for enhancement of forest carbon stocks and achieving sustainable management of forests through REDD+ actions. Important provisions include -
• Coverage of REDD+
Carbon pools
A system that has the capacity to store or release carbon. The Marrakesh Accords recognize five main carbon pools
or reservoirs in forests: Above-ground biomass, below-
ground biomass, dead wood, litter and soil organic matter.
o REDD+ will cover all trees within forest areas and tree outside forest (TOF)
o Research is being undertaken to assess the potential of carbon sequestration by grasslands, and coastal
sea grasses, salt marshes, phytoplankton etc.
• Phased approach of REDD+
o Phase 1: development of national strategies or action plans, policies and measures, and capacity-building.
o Phase 2: implementation of national policies,measures and national strategies or action plans
o Phase 3: evolvement into results based actions that should be fully measured, reported and verified.
• Sub-national REDD+ Approach
o The country has been divided into 14 physiographic zones by the FSI. State Governments may collaborate
and develop REDD+ Action Plan in a physiographic zone.
• REDD+ Activities
o It includes Reducing Deforestation, Reducing Forest Degradation, Conservation of Forest Carbon Stocks, Sustainable Management of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks.
o Initiatives for Enhancement of Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks include Namami
REDD+
REDD+ means “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”, conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. REDD+ aims to achieve climate change mitigation by incentivizing forest conservation.
Ganga, Forestry Interventions for Other Major River Catchments, Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantations, beautification & Maintenance) Policy – 2015 and innovative programmes like Green Army of Maharashtra.
• Developing strategies for addressing Deforestation and Forest Degradation
o Creating proper awareness amongst stakeholders.
o Improved Cook Stoves for Addressing Forest Degradation
• Capacity Building and Trained Human Resource
o Building a Cadre of Community Foresters.
o Green Skill Development Programme.
• Appointing Targets & appropriate Infrastructure Development
o State/UT Governments to work out the appropriate targets of afforestation and reforestation (A&R) for each State/UT that would enable the country meet the objectives of Green India Mission and NDC target.
• Funding
o Finance Commission has recommended devolution of funds to states attaching a weightage of 7.5% of the
State’s forest cover.
o Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
o Green Climate Fund and Other External Sources of Funding
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