REDD-plus and Forest Tenure: The Emerging Philippine Experience

Transcription

1 REDD-plus and Forest Tenure: The Emerging Philippine Experience Antonio G.M. La Viña, JSD Dean, Ateneo School of Government Forest Tenure and Regulatory Reforms Conference Beijing, China, September 2010

2 A View From the South... Scott Willis, BOS NiEuwsletter, Netherlands

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4 Photo courtesy of Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF).

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8 Safeguard Principles Indigenous peoples UNDRP, FPIC Forest governance not only REDD, but overall governance Co-Benefits biodiversity; preventing conversion of natural forests How to monitor or report on safeguard principles

9 IP Provisions Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting that the General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, including in particular indigenous peoples and local communities in REDD+ actions

10 Governance Provisions consistent with the objectives of national forest programmes/international conventions and agreements; Transparent and effective national forest governance structures, taking into account national legislation and sovereignty

11 Environmental Integrity Consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity, Not used for the conversion of natural forests, but incentivize protection/conservation Address the risks of reversals Reduce displacement of emissions

12 IP Provisions Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting that the General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, including in particular indigenous peoples and local communities in REDD+ actions

13 REDD-plus and Forest Tenure Free and prior informed consent of indigenous peoples Right to participate in REDD-plus design, implementation and MRV by forest communities Ownership and control of lands (carbon=trees=land=rights) Benefit-sharing

14 Philippine Experience Long history of forest reform CBNRM Long history of tenure reform Strong policy/legal recognition of indigenous peoples BUT BAD IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE Climate change is new context of implementing forest and tenure reforms REDD-plus seen as potential catalyst for implementation reforms

15 The Philippine National REDD-plus Strategy (PNRPS) Scaling-up approach - readiness phase is critical yet time-consuming. Build on existing data sets, capacity and initiatives and develop sub-national REDD-plus initiatives scaled-up in 3-5 years time. Assumes watershed, natural ecosystem and landscape-level approaches to REDD-plus development in order to ensure multiple benefits.

16 Priority REDD-plus Sites Targets projects on sites where emissions reductions can be achieved at a reasonable scale and cost, and co-benefits maximized Tenured areas such as ancestral domains and community based forest management areas offer greatest opportunities to deliver social and environmental co-benefits. Biodiversity conservation priority areas Rural development, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation overlap at a number of sites

17 PNRPS: Governance Governance approach recognizes the need for national-level REDD-plus oversight and management, but prioritizes the decentralization of natural resource management (rights, responsibilities and benefits). Opportunities to strengthen and align existing structures/policies, rather than unnecessarily introduce new bodies and regulations. Inter-sectoral approach to REDD-plus development, seeking to increase communication and coordination among agencies and sectors with forest links

18 PNRPS: Focus on Local/Community Local government unit (LGU) and community engagement to ensure REDD-plus operationalization. Catalyze REDD-plus resources to deliver multiple social benefits including sustainable rural livelihood development; promoting community-based management and monitoring activities, and emphasizing equitable benefit sharing. Participatory planning, multi-stakeholder and multilevel approaches as main method to strategy planning and implementation. Engagement of local resource users and managers, notably Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

19 PNRPS: Building MRV Credible national and sub-national emissions reference levels and a robust national measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) system for carbon accounting. Research, capacity building and institutional structures required to establish rigorous forest carbon accounting.

20 Policy Gaps Identified Clarify carbon ownership under different tenure instruments. Review forestry sector definitions to ensure coherence with REDD-plus. Establishing a quantifiable national forestry emissions reduction target Ensure REDD-plus institutions have clear legal mandates which also have to be harmonized. Ensure legal social and environmental safeguards for REDD-plus implementation.

21 Governance Imperatives Establish a National Multistakeholder REDD-plus Council based on existing structures. Build on existing sub-national (local, provincial and regional) structures to establish institutional arrangements through which to implement REDDplus, including parallel structures for REDDplus decision-making and MRV processes. Establish equitable benefit-sharing schemes with local government units and communities.

22 Resource Management Define permanent forest lines and boundaries. Promote watershed/ecosystem/landscape-based REDD+ planning. Identify and pursue options to enhance and manage carbon stocks to expand both protection and production forests. Pursue sustainable management of production forests. Consider population growth and in-migration in forest management plans.

23 Research Priorities Identify primary drivers of deforestation/forest degradation and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to propose sciencebased conservation interventions Identify, establish and thoroughly study a diversity of REDDplus pilot/demonstration sites, and corresponding provincial and regional pilot/demonstration sites. Collaboratively establish a broad REDD-plus research agenda, including on policy, social science and carbon cycle aspects of REDD-plus. Establish initiatives to measure site baselines for biodiversity, ecosystem services and carbon stocks, against which to measure future change.

24 Building MRV Assess existing capacities, available data and future requirements for MRV. Establish emissions reference levels using existing skills and data, and improving as resources become available Establish community-based accounting with adequate training, resources, incentives and supervision. mplement national-level MRV system supplemented by sub-national MRV. Establish MRV system to review REDD-plus related policies and processes.

25 Capacity Building Formulate and implement a REDD-plus communication plan to raise awareness among stakeholders and facilitate their engagement in consultations and planning. Conduct Competence Assessments to identify needs. Conduct wide-spread consultations and dialogues on REDD-plus development in the Philippines Conduct training programs for a range of stakeholders. Develop a national REDD-plus Community of Practitioners to help serve as national resource persons.

26 Sustainable Financing Capitalize on existing national capacities and resources to initiate REDD-plus readiness. Develop proposals for immediate voluntary donor funding for REDD-plus readiness. Explore opportunities for a diversified long-term financing approach, including both market and non-market-based mechanisms. Plan for long-term financial sustainability and resilience by seeking multiple funding sources, establishing contingencies and investing in self-sustaining local-level programs. Explore diverse fund management arrangements.

27 Solidarity and Community Philippine Daily Inquirer, 29 June 2008, Photo by Nino Jesus Orbeta