CGD is launching a new initiative to help mobilize substantial additional finance from high-income countries to conserve tropical forests as a means of reducing carbon emissions and thus slowing climate change. The initiative draws on two CGD strengths: emerging lessons from Cash-on-Delivery Aid mechanisms and new high-frequency remote sensing data tools, such as Forest Monitoring for Action (FORMA). Find more...
Following a global call for nominations, the Equator Initiative received a record-setting 1,234 nominations from 121 countries around the world. An extensive review process guided by our Technical Advisory Committee of international experts was undertaken over the last several months, concluding today with the announcement of the thirty-five winners.
Find more...Congo’s National CEFDHAC Forum on REDD+ was the focus of reflection during a workshop that was held from May 7 to 9, 2014 in Brazzaville to revitalize the National Forum by providing it with organic laws consistent with CEFDHAC reform on the one hand, and secondly to develop the engagement strategy, communication plan and position paper of the Congo National CEFDHAC Forum on REDD +.
find more...The domestic markets of Kinshasa and Eastern DRC which we surveyed provide a turnover in excess of USD 100 million per year and gains estimated at USD 25 million, not including profits derived from indirect activities. In the survey study areas, the small scale chainsaw milling sector generates USD 111million in net annual income which is shared among four categories of stakeholders ...
Find more...Kinshasa, 11 June 2014- Soco International PLC will end its operations in Africa’s oldest national park and also is committing to remain out of all other UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the London-listed oil multinational is expected to announce today.
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Smithsonian's Gabon Biodiversity Program exhibit at the World Environment Day celebration in Gamba, Gabon - Please, check picture for Program participation during an exhibition in Gamba, Gabon. Find more...
A newly published GIZ paper aims at stimulating the current debate by providing an update on MRV of climate finance at UNFCCC, OECD and EU level. Furthermore, it generates recommendations and pointers for future work and perspectives on MRV of climate finance. The paper seeks to inform a range of different groups, including representatives of governmental organisations, actors involved in climate negotiations, donor agencies, national and international development banks and civil society... Find more...
Planet Earth is our shared island, let’s join forces to protect it "- said UN Secretary General Ban Ki -Moon at the launching of 2014 as the year of Small Island Developing States. The World Environment Day challenge is back! - Watch the video...
Find more...Land managers from small-scale farmers to large agri- businesses are increasingly challenged by the inter-related impacts of ecosystem degradation, climate change, competition for scarce resources, poverty and food insecurity.
Find more...The Assisted Natural Regeneration(ANR) approach has been adapted and tested by the Makala Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on the Batéké plateau in the valleys of the Lufimi river with the aim of proposing a forest fallow management approach. Follow-ups were carried out between 2010 and 2013 to measure the impact of Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) ... Learn more...
...Based on the process of collating biological monitoring information and early analyses, this report offers a number of recommendations for improving the utility of biological monitoring. This report has been accompanied by a series of factsheets on a variety monitoring techniques, providing methodological detail and an entry into specialized literature. The final database can be used as a growing tool for more data as it becomes available...
Find more...Forest biodiversity conservation has been the main environmental priority in central Africa. The bonds between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) seem to be strong with REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation). Some of the Aichi targets (5, 7, 11 & 15) of the CBD and the environmental safeguards of REDD+ (UNFCCC) are good links between the two conventions. REDD+ has thus emerged as one way for biodiversity conservation in the Congo Basin.
Find more......These findings have important implications for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and provide the best evidence yet that deliberate policies coupled with financial incentives can slow, halt, and eventually reverse the loss of the world’s remaining tropical forests. This brief is based on Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon and Jonah Busch, “What Drives Deforestation and What Stops It? A Meta- Analysis of Spatially Explicit Econometric Studies,” CGD Working Paper 361 (Washington: Center for Global Development, 2014).
Find more...Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a comprehensive global research university ranked among the top 100 in the United States. Drexel is one of America’s 15 largest private Universities, with approximately 25,000 students. Originally an engineering school, Drexel is widely recognized for its innovation, rapid growth and diversification. A key component of the university’s strategic mission is to foster a network of partnerships with leading universities and institutes across the globe, including the following Institutional goals...
FInd more...The CEFDHAC National Forum in Burundi held a revamp workshop in Bujumbura, Burundi from 19 to 20 May 2014. The workshop equally aimed to provide information regarding Climate Change and REDD+ related challenges. Organized by the Burundi National Forum, the meeting was facilitated by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) with the financial support of ADB/ECCAS.
Find more...With a view to merging ideas relating to implementation of the process of making information public under Annex VII of the VPA, a sub-regional brainstorming workshop on implementation of the Annex to the VPA on information to be made public was held from 15 to 16 May 2014.
Find more...From 28 April to 2 May 2014, the town of BANDUNDU in the Democratic Republic of Congo provided the venue for the first edition of the REDD+ University organized by the National REDD Coordinating Office of the Democratic Republic of Congo in collaboration with the European Forest Institute (EFI).
Find more...Please download: Outcomes statement (Key messages) – Conference Video Archive: All plenary sessions, high-level panels and discussion forums are now online. Visit the Forests Asia Summit playlist to catch up – Press Release: Read roundups of each day's activities here. SLIDESHOWS: PowerPoint presentations made in Discussion Forums are now available.
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In this issue: Cameroon: 30 elephant tusks seized in Edea- Mayors crusading against forest destruction- Waza National Park: Micro subsidies for 32 farmers’ organizations –Congo Brazzaville: Mounting human pressure fuels depletion of biological resources – Brazzaville to host international anti-poaching conference- Gabon: Wildlife law enforcement: the Case of Franceville- Upper Ogoue- Weapons seizure in West Minkebe- ANPN canine unit to track down wildlife traffickers: 2025: Emergence yes, but without elephants… Learn more… (Available in French only).. Find more...
The International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated under the theme of Island Biodiversity, islands are taking action to effectively conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable livelihoods. These actions, or “Bright Spots,” point the way towards sustainable development for island ecosystems and beyond...
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Drexel University officially joins the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP)- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (US), April 11th, 2014 – Drexel University has officially been accepted as the newest member of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Find more...
In a public disclosure by the relevant department of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional development, it was revealed that the Federal Republic of Germany has granted Cameroon a 56,766 billion CFAF package as funding for the three-year cooperation programme running from 2014 to 2016.
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The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Officially Joins the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) - London (UK), April 28th, 2014 – The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) and agrees to advance cooperation with CBFP membersto support the sustainable management of forest ecosystems and conservation of biodiversity in Central Africa. Find more...
Kigali (Rwanda), April 15th 2014 – Volcanoes Safaris has been accepted as a full member of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) and will upholdthe CBFP Cooperation Framework goals to advance sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa. In recent years Volcanoes Safaris has been exploring expanding activities into the Congo Basin and has contributed to a number of meetings on the development of tourism in the Congo Basin countries, greatly expanding the sectoral perspectives of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
Find more...This initiative is at its third year... The high Institute of Environmental Sciences (HIES) went operational in IBAYSUP ( Nkolbisson, Yaoundé-Cameroon) since the last academic year 2014-2015. Under the partnership of Universities of California Los Angeles ( USA), Ghent ( Belgium) and Yaounde I ( Cameroon), HIES is offering Bachelor and Master Degree in subjects tailored for today’s job market;...
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Roundtables bring government officials, students and U.S. experts together - WASHINGTON, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Fisheries and Environment, the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE), the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (BBPP), and other institutions in the country participated in two timely environmental programs hosted by the Embassy of the United States in Malabo this month. Find more...
Bonn, 2 May 2014 - The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) held its third meeting in the margins of the General Assembly of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) in Milan, Italy on 23 and 24 April with the 13 member organizations agreeing to produce a wildlife glossary on terminology, a document on the economic contribution of sustainable wildlife management (SWM) for local economies and livelihoods, a bushmeat source book and fact sheets on SWM. A wildlife management database, WILDLIFE-LEX, and CPW portal will also be created.
Find more...Deforestation in Central Africa’s Congo Basin is lower than the average rate across Africa — but that is not likely to hold true for long, according to two recent papers that enable a better understanding of past trends while looking to the future.
Find more...This article presents a framework for Readiness assessment and compares progress in REDD+ Readiness across four countries, namely Cameroon, Indonesia, Peru, and Vietnam. The Readiness assessment framework comprises six functions, namely planning and coordination; policy, laws, and institutions; measurement, reporting, verification (MRV), and audits; benefit sharing; financing; and demonstrations and pilots. We found the framework credible and consistent in measuring progress and eliciting insight into Readiness processes at the country level.
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FAO to lead new five-year agenda on forests and water - Comprehensive and inclusive scientific and policy discussions on the critical but complex linkages between forests and water have culminated in the endorsement by an international group of experts, who met in Kunming, China, of an agenda to inform and steer future international action. The meeting, a joint initiative of FAO, ICRAF and IUFRO, entrusted FAO to lead implementation of the five-year plan... Find more...
Hong Kong is a major transit hub and end-use market for illegal ivory and is ranked fifth in the world in ivory seizures. Enforcement efforts to intercept illegal ivory sends the strong message that Hong Kong will not tolerate ivory trafficking and that the rest of the world should not either.
Find more...The great potential for synergies between FLEGT and REDD+ has yet to be achieved in practice. This is the conclusion of the ETFRN News “Linking FLEGT and REDD+ to Improve Forest Governance”. The publication presents 22 experiences and viewpoints from around the world about the linkages between FLEGT, REDD+ and other international forest management initiatives.
Find more...As part of implementation of the MINFOF/OIBT/TRAFFIC project funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), two successive training sessions were held in Kribi under the theme
strengthening the national process for controlling illegal logging and the related trade. The first one which took place on March 4 targeted Ministry of Finance staff (Customs and PSRF) while the second, which was held on March 6, was intended for the forces of law and order (police & gendarmerie) and the Justice Department.
Find more...With GIZ support, in partnership with the Chadian parliament and the REPAR Central African regional office, an international workshop on Climate Change and Desertification in Africa was held from April 22 to 23, 2014 in Ndjamena, Chad. The meeting entitled ‘Central Africa facing the challenge of environmental degradation and desertification’ was attended by a host of entities including sub-regional bodies, financial and technical partners, civil society organizations and a few experts...
Find more...China has become the largest importer of tropical wood and is the destination of more than three-quarters of Africa’s timber exports. This demand has raised international concern about the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Chinese timber supply chains in Africa.
Find more...his article reviews progress on REDD+ readiness in Cameroon based on a multiple REDD+ functions framework. Results show that some progress has been made in terms of planning and coordination, institutional development, and the development of some REDD+ projects. Absence of a legal framework, inadequate procedures for stakeholder participation, slow progress in the development of a national strategy, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) challenges, and weak financing remain prominent constraints. Despite having one of the slowest REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) processes in the Congo Basin, stakeholders feel strong ownership because the R-PP was done almost entirely by Cameroonian experts
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