Local communities demonstrate readiness for REDD+ in Kigoma, Tanzania

Local communities demonstrate readiness for REDD+ in Kigoma, Tanzania

Local communities in Kigoma demonstrated their readiness for full scale REDD during a recent field visit by technical experts in Kigoma districts, Tanzania. The field visit was facilitated by IUCN project on Strengthening REDD+ Lesson Learning Networks and Information Management funded by the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) of the University of Dar es Salaam. Visited pilot project is being implemented by the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in Kigoma district. Site visit was organized in Ilagala village in Kigoma.

 The objective of the field visit was to document key lessons from these projects that will augment lessons learnt and best practices from other projects collected during field dialogues held in March this year. Conducted on April 11-12, 2013, the event was attended by representatives from IUCN, National REDD Task Force, National REDD Secretariat and hosts – project staff and local communities. 

Illagala villagers demonstrated readiness for fullscale REDD+ during focused group discussions on REDD+ principles that included drawing a number of lessons from their experiences. Firstly, the understanding of REDD concept was high amongst communities (village government, members of the Village Natural Resource Committee, forest monitors and members of a community based organisation – JUWAMMA (Jumuia ya Watunza Misitu wa Masito). There are proving to be qualified trainers in issues related to REDD pilot projects.

Secondly, there is effective and gender-balanced community participation in project implementation that ensures sustainability of REDD+ activities. In addition, communities’ capacity to implement REDD+ activities has been strengthened by workshops, and the training opportunities from the JGI focussing on forest conservation, forest protection and first aid. Scout training were conducted to 35 forest monitors at Pasiansi Wildlife College. In addition, the projects provided forest gears and equipment to forest monitors which includes 35 bicyles, fire extinguishers, solar panels, field boots and first aid kits.

Communities are also competent in Monitoring Reporting Verification (MRVs) and they demonstrated understanding of the whole process of data collection and recording even though have not yet grasped the computation of carbon stock. Forest monitors provide reports every month to the JGI. These reports include number of visits to the forest per month, report on encroachment signs and problem encountered during visitation. Furthermore, financing of the JUWAMMA to fulfill its activities including REDD has been assured through revenues collected from illegal exploitation of forest products as agreed with Kigoma District Council. The experience of REDD+ pilot project in Kigoma shows that local communities can own REDD+ activities after strengthing their capacity in forest management and empowering the local institutions.

For more information, contact Mr. Abdalla Said Shah, Head of Office/Senior Program Officer – IUCN Tanzania on Abdalla.shah@iucn.org

Climate Change will make hundreds of 'millions homeless'

Carbon dioxide levels indicate rise in temperatures that could lead agriculture to fail on Climate change is amplifying risks from drought, floods, storm and rising seas. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP

It is increasingly likely that hundreds of millions of people will be displaced from their homelands in the near future as a result of global warming. That is the stark warning of economist and climate change expert Lord Stern following the news last week that concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere had reached a level of 400 parts per million (ppm).

Massive movements of people are likely to occur over the rest of the century because global temperatures are likely to rise to by up to 5C because carbon dioxide levels have risen unabated for 50 years, said Stern, who is head of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change.

                       

"When temperatures rise to that level, we will have disrupted weather patterns and spreading deserts," he said. "Hundreds of millions of people will be forced to leave their homelands because their crops and animals will have died. The trouble will come when they try to migrate into new lands, however. That will bring them into armed conflict with people already living there. Nor will it be an occasional occurrence. It could become a permanent feature of life on Earth."

The news that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have reached 400ppm has been seized on by experts because that level brings the world close to the point where it becomes inevitable that it will experience a catastrophic rise in temperatures. Scientists have warned for decades of the danger of allowing industrial outputs of carbon dioxide to rise unchecked.

Instead, these outputs have accelerated. In the 1960s, carbon dioxide levels rose at a rate of 0.7ppm a year. Today, they rise at 2.1ppm, as more nations become industrialised and increase outputs from their factories and power plants. The last time the Earth's atmosphere had 400ppm carbon dioxide, the Arctic was ice-free and sea levels were 40 metres higher.

The prospect of Earth returning to these climatic conditions is causing major alarm. As temperatures rise, deserts will spread and life-sustaining weather patterns such as the North Indian monsoon could be disrupted. Agriculture could fail on a continent-wide basis and hundreds of millions of people would be rendered homeless, triggering widespread conflict.

There are likely to be severe physical consequences for the planet. Rising temperatures will shrink polar ice caps – the Arctic's is now at its lowest since records began – and so reduce the amount of solar heat they reflect back into space. Similarly, thawing of the permafrost lands of Alaska, Canada and Russia could release even more greenhouse gases, including methane, and further intensify global warming.

more infos at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/12/climate-change-expert-stern-displacement