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and forest degradation in Fiji
Suva, Fiji ----- SPC/GTZ hosts scoping workshop on climate change and deforestation
and forest degradation in Fiji Thursday, 20 August 2009, Secretariat of the Pacific
Community - The rights of resource owners need to be recognised and their engagement
is crucial when addressing deforestation and forest degradation in the Pacific.
And a scoping workshop to be held in Suva, Fiji Islands from 27 August – 01 September,
2009 will include resource owner representatives, the private sector and various agencies
from the forestry, agriculture and environment sectors to develop the strategic
components for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)
projects with particular focus on three thematic areas – policy development, remote
sensing, and carbon inventorying.
Deforestation and forest degradation are identified as primary source of carbon emissions
in developing countries, and in the Pacific this includes the larger forested islands, such
as those of countries and territories like Fiji. Forests also play an important adaptation
role, functioning to strengthen the resilience of local communities and ecosystems against
climate change impacts.
‘A desired outcome of the workshop is an initial policy framework for REDD in Fiji.
This will include, amongst other things, identifying the drivers of deforestation and forest
degradation and determining the necessary interventions to address them. The role of
resource owners and their needs will be a main consideration in this framework,’ said Ms
Christine Fung, workshop coordinator and GTZ Land Use Planning Specialist.
The workshop will consult with local researchers and scientists in remote sensing and
carbon inventorying, two important tools for monitoring deforestation and forest
degradation in the context of REDD. The scoping exercise includes identifying protocols
necessary for a national forest carbon inventory for Fiji, where the protocols will need to
be compliant with emerging United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) criteria for REDD, and project scale inventory requirements. As part of this a
draft operational plan for a national forest carbon inventory will be developed.
The workshop will also attempt to develop approaches for the integration of REDD and
other forest-related mitigation and adaptation strategies into national strategic
development plans. Linkages and synergies with relevant stakeholders will also be
identified.
The consultative workshop will be held in Suva and is supported and organised by SPC
and GTZ, in close collaboration with the Fiji Forestry Department and the Department of
