REDD+ denotes the suite of interventions that seek to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation whilst incorporating the role of conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. Countries that intend to undertake REDD+ activities are required to develop a national strategy that clearly articulates measures aimed at addressing the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and other associated issues including land and tree tenure, forest governance, gender and safeguards.
Work towards development of a national REDD+ strategy for Ghana effectively commenced in 2008 when Ghana enlisted on the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) REDD+ Readiness Programme. The submission of A Readiness Plan Idea Note (R-PIN) and subsequent approval of Ghana’s REDD+ Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) in 2010 enabled Ghana to secure funding from the FCPF to support implementation of readiness activities commencing from 2012.
The R-PP serves as a blueprint for REDD+ readiness implementation and outlines the key processes, systems and frameworks which Ghana needs to complete in order to enable the country effectively implement the REDD+ mechanism. In preparation of Ghana’s R-PP, a thorough assessment of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation was undertaken to guide the selection of 13 strategic options which were deemed suitable for addressing the identified drivers. These strategic options were further analyzed during the strategy development process and resulted in the selection of the priority national and sub-national REDD+ programmes.
Ghana’s REDD+ Strategy has been designed to meet the requirements of the Warsaw Framework on REDD+ and other decisions of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In developing the national REDD+ strategy, significant attention has been paid to national circumstances and developmental aspirations and the process also took due cognizance of major national policies including the national climate change policy (2013) and the revised forest and wildlife policy of Ghana (2012).
Ghana’s approach for REDD+ implementation
Ghana has adopted a nested approach for implementation of REDD+ in a phased programmatic approach with initial focus on the High Forest Zone and scaling up to cover the other distinct major ecological zones of the country such as the Savanna Zone. The proposed measures and interventions targeted at addressing the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation are linked with the production and supply chains of major commodities and defined by clear ecological boundaries. Ghana acknowledges that the actions required to achieve REDD+ are complicated and multi-dimensional. The National REDD+ Strategy is therefore meant to serve as a guide and framework for achieving REDD+ in a well-coordinated manner by pursuing a broad set of actions to tackle deforestation and forest degradation at the landscape level.
This strategy is envisaged to be a twenty-year working document but is subject to periodic review as new ideas and enhanced understanding of REDD+ emerge from research and on-the-ground implementation of REDD+ activities in Ghana.
The main programmes under the strategy are:
Download: Ghana REDD+ Strategy
