REDD Services

The issues of deforestation and degradation which are central to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been more prominently placed in an evolving policy, aiming to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. At the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) 11 in Montreal in 2005, developing countries tabled a motion to include a programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) in developing countries as a post-Kyoto Protocol mechanism (TFD, 2008). Since 2005, countries have therefore taken initiatives to develop REDD demonstration activities (pilot projects) and to work on methodological issues, technology transfer and capacity building which are all required for successful REDD implementation.

Since 2007, GAF AG, with support from the German Development Bank (KfW) and the European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated REDD pilot projects in Bolivia and Cameroon. The pilots have the overarching aim of integrating the application of Earth Observation technologies with the policy formulation, to establish baseline projections of emissions caused by deforestation, combined with regional projections of degradation nested in a wall-to-wall approach.
Key methodological issues that are being addressed in the pilots include estimation and monitoring of forest areas (using remote sensing methods and in-situ data), establishing reference emission levels, and assessing both national and sub/national approaches. Innovative institutional arrangements/mechanisms such as technology transfer with south-south co-operation between Bolivia and Cameroon were also included to facilitate the process.

GAF AG and partners will be implementing REDD services in the Republic of Congo, Gabon and Laos with ESA support from 2009-2012.