National REDD+ Stakeholders Receive Expert Training 

Port Moresby, 29 March 2016 – Thirty-SevenNational REDD+ stakeholders from the Government, civil society groups and private sector received expert training on REDD+ in Kimbe, West New Britain from the 22-24 March 2016.The training focused in enhancing the stakeholders’ understanding of REDD+ in mitigating climate change and the critical role of REDD+ in promoting sustainable development in Papua New Guinea.

The training was organised by Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), within the framework of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) REDD+ readiness project with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“We are bringing together stakeholders to increase their understanding of REDD+ and build their confidence. This will help ensure the REDD+ policy is in line with national priorities in each sector”, said Mr. Barambi, CCDA REDD+ Manager.

Photo: Participants at the REDD+ Expert Training Workshop in Kimbe, West New Britain Province

“We want to build a pool of experts who understand what the REDD+ initiative is and how it can be implemented in Papua New Guinea,” added Peter Katapa, Project Manager for FCPF – REDD+ readiness project.

The workshop in Kimbe was part of a series of ongoing initiatives that began in 2015 which will help the country to effectively develop a national strategy and action plan, a national forest monitoring system, safeguards information system and forest reference emission levels system as required under the UNFCCC for emission reduction.

The training, led by Tim Boyle and Joel Scriven, the REDD+ support team from UNDP Regional Hub in Bangkok, covered issues of deforestation and forest degradation, the key steps for designing REDD+ policies and measures as well as important planning considerations for the implementation of REDD+.

Among the participants, Kwaipo Vali, Policy advisor for the Prime Minister’s Department expressed the training as beneficial.

“It was good to get specific training on climate change policy issues like REDD+. In my capacity as policy advisor it’s important to understand policies and measures as well as their enforcement”, he said

As part of the training, participants visited Stettin Bay Lumber Company and New Britain Palm Oil Limited plantations, logging sites and biogas plant. This provided participants with an opportunity to see first-hand practices that contribute to sustainable conservation and management of forests in PNG. Participants also learned how these companies address and reduce the impact of their operations on the environment.

The last day of the workshop involved detailed discussion among participants on policies and measures that would be appropriate for PNG to adopt to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while conserving forests and encouraging more sustainable economic development.“One of the main agents driving deforestation and forest degradation is our people practicing shifting agriculture. A well thought out national plan on how people use land will help address this problem”, said Roy Banka, Project Coordinator for the National Forest Inventory project.