Cameroon Kick Starts Comprehensive Dialogue on REDD Process

Participants at the Dialogue

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.

In 2008, Cameroon submitted its concept note for national REDD readiness planning (known as Readiness Preparation Proposal, RPP) to the World Bank’s Forest and Carbon Partnership Facility.

The stakes and challenges of implementing the REDD program in Cameroon was at the centre of a two days national dialogue that took place at the Solomon Tandeng Muna Foundation in Yaounde from May 27-28, 2013.

Mr Nguemadji Moussa Jules, member of the national coordination of REDD in the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development said the RPP defines Cameroon’s plan of elaborating and implementing the REDD mechanism in Cameroon.

The dialogue focused on ensuring governance in the elaboration of the REDD program.

 “The challenge here is to ensure that there is good governance that takes into account all concerns of all involved”.

There are two ministries in Cameroon with direct responsibility for REDD policy-making and related issues; the Ministry of the Environment, Nature protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) is overseeing climate change issues, while the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF) is responsible for protected areas and forests.

But for it successful elaboration and implementation, Mr Nguemadji Moussa Jules says it is very important that all ministries take part.

“The REDD mechanism cannot be successful without the taking into account of all stakeholders in the forestry, water and mining sectors, the Ministries that deal with these have to be implicated in the REDD process.

According Mr Njamnshi Augustine, Executive Secretary of Bioresources Development and Conservation Program (BDCP) Cameroon, there is need for a continuous dialogue around the REDD program.

“Governance is a critical part of REDD, without dialogue and participation of the entire stakeholder, REDD can bring a lot of misgivings and people will not understand what it is and the good intensions of REDD can be turned into a nightmare if REDD is not well managed”, Mr Njamnshi said.

The dialogue sought to initiate a conversation in Cameroon on the issue and set the pace for a more all-encompassing dialogues between the different stakeholders of the REDD process.

“The series of dialogues is to show the importance to information, participation, accountability and transparency in REDD management in Cameroon”.

The two days national dialogue was organised by the Bioresources Development and Conservation Program Cameroon and sponsored by the World Resources Institute through GFI Cameroon.

Representatives of government Ministries, the civil society, farmers’ representatives and individual consultants amongst others took part in the talks.

Mr Njamnshi Augustine hoped that the recommendations from the dialogue will influence the implementation of the REDD program in Cameroon especially in aspects such as accountability, transparency and coordination.

By Ndi Eugene Ndi