REDD+ Initiatives
These REDD+ Projects have success stories behind where the local communities have been directly and indirectly benefiting. Namely:
Tavolo Village is located in the Pomio District of East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. The village is made up of fringing coral reefs on the coast and pristine forest on the mainland. The conservation area covers about 988 acres. It is a small village with a total population of 600 men, women and children. The community is rich in marine resources with very fertile land whereby food crops grow extremely well and healthy. The thick forest also is used for hunting wild pigs and other animals and plants provide a wide range of traditional decorations and medicines as well. These people live a simple and rich life as they obtain everything that they need from their natural environment.
The only threat that they may face in the near future would be overfishing and large-scale logging which is offshore on the mainland some 20 minutes away from the island.
PNG Communities BEST (Benefits from Environmental Services Trust) Program is a program supported and initiated by FORCERT to assist its partner communities for FORCERTS general community Enhancement Program. Whereby Tavolo Community Conservation Association is the first recognized entity under this program established by FORCERT Ltd.
The PNG Best program aims at generating financial benefits through the Environmental Services provided and in addition FORCERT have already partnered with other communities and made them commit themselves to sustainably utilize their land and natural resources for their benefit and the future generations to come.
The signing of the document ‘’Wanbel Pepa’’ between the Tavolo Community Conservation Association will be a 30-year agreement term.
PNG Communities BEST Program and Tavolo REDD Project through Tavolo Community Conservation project initiated the Trial task on Benefits from Environmental Services in the year 2008. This trial task has made way to the development of the PNG Communities BEST Program whereby Tavolo Community Conservation Association has now declared through the signing agreement as the first member of the Tavolo REDD Project.
The Environmental Services Benefits trial work had been supported by Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)with the FORCERT Ltd a very influential key stakeholder and NGO.
The project meets REDD+ (Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) standards to stop the destruction of forests while also providing positive social and economic co-benefits.