Implications of an outcome on REDD+ for East Africa

New proposals to use international financial mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) have radical implications for the ways in which tropical forests are valued internationally. Forest assets which were formerly unattractive are now the subject of increased attention from Northern and Southern governments, financial markets and international NGOs. REDD-net has been engaging Southern CSOs to contribute to this discussion

Hence, REDD+ is a promising outcome from the Cancun talks. But in East Africa, the prospects for effective REDD+ in East Africa are intricately tied to issues of tenure and rights due to multiple use of the forests and the human pressures on the remaining resources. In addition to the particular challenge of rights to trees outside forest reserves, carbon rights are a key bone of contention; not well understood. How carbon rights can be legally defined, and how they will relate to underlying land and timber rights? David Mwayafu (Regional REDD-Net Coordinator for Africa based at Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development) shares his views on this and other issues, based on a recent East African Regional Workshop that took place in Kampala. Read more