Context
Germany is assisting Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic in managing their natural resources. To help the countries of Central America adapt better to the impacts of climate change, Germany has pledged its support for the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo – CCAD).
Objective
In CCAD member states, conditions have improved for the effective implementation of sustainable compensation mechanisms to reduce CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Approach
At the national level, the program backs the implementation of measures designed to avoid forest de-struction and promotes the development of REDD strategies and intersectoral policy dialogue. REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. In regional terms, the program sup-ports the technical and political coordination processes between the eight countries of Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, in order to strengthen their regional position in international negotiations.
The program comprises three components with the following objectives:
1. Intersectoral dialogue
Policy coherence between sectors and levels (national, regional, international) is improved for the good of forest conservation.
2. Sustainable compensation mechanisms
Institutional and regulatory framework conditions are created in CCAD member countries to im-plement sustainable compensation mechanisms that reduce CO2 emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation.
3. Monitoring and reporting
Decision-makers and institutions that are required to report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) have access to the data material they need to monitor CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
National level planning workshops have been held for key actors from the eight countries involved, and operations were initiated in November 2010. Collective steps to implement REDD in the region were agreed at a synthesis workshop and presented by CCAD at the UN Climate Conference in Cancun, Mexico, in December 2010.
Result achieved so far
• Guidelines have been drawn up for an advisory project that will help to develop an appropriate fund-raising strategy at the regional level.
• The program has supported studies in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Panama on the issues of mitigation (reducing the effects of climate change) and adaptation to climate change.
• Workshops on REDD and its role within the national strategies on reducing deforestation have been conducted for indigenous communities.
• Regional agendas from the various technical committees of CCAD on climate change, forests and pro-tected areas have been advanced; the political, institutional and specialist dialogue among the com-mittees and specialist groups has been promoted. One of the most successful outcomes of these measures is the fact that the various committees now convene to coordinate their agendas and work on common objectives.
• Communication tools (monthly newsletters, internet sites for REDD and CCAD-GIZ, experience shar-ing on forest protection per video, etc.) have been developed with the objective of establishing a re-gional communication strategy on REDD.
• A regional training program on forest monitoring was conducted from June 2011 to July 2012, attend-ed by three specialists from each of the eight partner countries Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Re-public, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
• A strategy paper on forest protection and biodiversity has been drawn up on behalf of the CCAD Council of Ministers. At the same time, the program supports the development of national REDD strategies in several countries.