Ghana makes progress to reduce emissions from forest degradation | Politics

Ghana is making significant progress towards the sustainable management of cocoa forest landscapes, boosting livelihoods and addressing the impacts of climate change.

The Government of Ghana has received an advance of $ 1.3 million from a $ 50 million agreement with the World Bank’s Partnership Fund for Forest Carbon for results-based payments to reduce emissions from the deforestation and forest degradation (known as REDD +).

The provision for this advance was included in the program’s contract, which was signed last year. The funds will be used for the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD + Program (GCFRP), which focuses on mosaic landscapes of cocoa forests in seven Regions within the high forest zone. This emission reduction program is based on the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

As part of the agreed program plan, the advance will be received by the Forestry Commission, which houses the National REDD + Secretariat, and will finance activities such as support for livelihoods, training, reforestation and enrichment planting in the program areas, multi-stakeholder , multisectoral participation and essential costs of program coordination. Funding is especially timely, given the current COVID-19 situation, for Ghana to maintain momentum with this initiative and ‘rebuild in a greener way’.

“This program is an important vehicle for the effective and successful implementation of the government and private sector commitments under the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, which together feed into overall forest sector contributions to Ghana’s international climate goals. This advance is vital to catalyze the program’s implementation efforts, ”said Hon. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.

“This emission reduction program is a unique public-private partnership between cocoa companies, traditional authorities, farmers, community members, the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Forestry Commission, among others. It represents a pilot model for sustainable cocoa sourcing in fast-growing economies, while reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and creating alternative and additional livelihoods. Therefore, the Forestry Commission is gathering the support of all stakeholders and beneficiaries for a successful implementation, ”said Mr. John M. Allotey, Executive Director of the Forestry Commission.

The program area, which covers nearly 6 million hectares, is home to 12 million people and includes 1.2 million hectares of forest reserves and national parks. The program will promote several environmental benefits, such as the prevention of soil erosion and the protection of water resources through sustainable land management practices.

It will reduce deforestation of natural forests and improve carbon sequestration by rehabilitating shade cocoa, enrichment planting, and intercropping.

It will also support the social benefits that provide potential additional income to farmers and community members on a sustainable basis, and plantation activities such as nursery operations, planting, forest management and protection that will increase employment opportunities.

Over the six-year lifetime of the GCFRP, as results-based payments for verified emissions begin to flow into Ghana, they will serve as an ongoing incentive for the various stakeholders involved in this program and will be shared in according to inclusive benefit sharing. plan.

Stakeholder involvement in implementation is critical to the success of the program. Based on the support provided by advance financing, performance-based payments for emissions reductions will be made after rigorous third-party verification.

Ghana has finalized the methodology to monitor deforestation and is in the process of preparing its monitoring report for the first independent verification, which is expected to take place in 2021.

“The GCFRP positions Ghana as one of the first countries in the world to demonstrate how improved governance, inclusive participation, collaborative management of forest resources and strong agroforestry practices in a commodity-driven landscape can work together to deliver real, verifiable and ambitious climate action while fostering the resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods, ”said Ms Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director of Climate Change and National REDD + Focal Point at the Forestry Commission.

“The advance payment can serve as a catalyst for Ghana’s further progress in conserving forests and reducing emissions,” said Ms Agata Pawlowska, World Bank Operations Manager in Ghana. “We are confident that Ghana will continue to liaise with stakeholders and the private sector in this unique program that will support more sustainable cocoa production, higher incomes for cocoa farmers and climate co-benefits by minimizing its footprint of deforestation and forest degradation.” .