Having signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 11 June 1992 and ratified the convention on 25 November 1994 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2003 as a non-Annex 1 party, Myanmar is fully aware of the causes and potential impacts of climate change. Hence, whilst undertaking political reform and aiming at rapid economic development, Myanmar is striving to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The government of Myanmar has recognised the potential of the REDD+ initiative to contribute to green development by protecting global environmental resources (forest carbon stocks, but also biodiversity), helping to reverse land degradation, helping to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor and aiding adaptation to climate change.
Although still largely a poor country, Myanmar is rapidly opening up to Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the energy, mining and agricultural sector. Unless astutely managed, economic growth may have negative impacts on the environment and the natural resource base. In addition, climate change threatens to reverse socio-economic advances. Recognizing these inter-related challenges, the Government increasingly views the forestry sector as a key component and driver of sustainable and climate resilient economic growth and rural development. Myanmar has significant potential to reduce its forest carbon emissions, and enhance and sustainably manage its forest carbon stocks, by implementing REDD+ activities.
In order to implement the REDD+ activities in Myanmar, the Government of Myanmar has developed the REDD+ Readiness Roadmap which constitutes the initial stage of
the REDD+ process which is divided into three phases:
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Three-Phased Approach to
REDD+ under UNFCCC Framework
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Phases I and II together comprise the “REDD+ Readiness” Phase, during which countries build capacity, develop strategies and action plans, test different approaches to REDD+ implementation at demonstration/pilot sites and subsequently refine their approaches based on feedback. In practice, the three phases overlap to an extent, e.g. with demonstration/piloting and capacity building activities overlapping. Myanmar is presently in the early stages of Phase I. It is focusing on building initial capacity and planning for REDD+ and the development of strategy documents. These latter include the present REDD+ Readiness Roadmap.
Phase 1
(Readiness): Implementation of the Roadmap, during which Myanmar will
put in place the necessary frameworks, capacities and institutions to implement
REDD+ at the national level. This phase also includes the identification of the
possible actions (or ‘candidate strategies’) that may achieve net emission
reductions from the forest sector. This phase can begin as soon as the Roadmap
is endorsed by the Government of Myanmar. This phase is expected to take four
years and is expected
to be financed by donor-based grants.
Phase 2
(Implementation): This phase will involve field testing of candidate
strategies through demonstration
activities, to establish which of the strategies may achieve efficient
and cost-effective results on a national scale without undermining any of the
REDD+ safeguards. This phase could also include further capacity-building, and
development of new policies and legislation. Some demonstration activities may
begin in specific areas of the country before all phase 1 activities are
completed at the national level. The country will fully enter phase 2 when all
Readiness activities have been completed, within two years of the completion of
the Roadmap. Phase 2 may
be financed through donor-based grants, payments from funds, and sale of carbon
credits on markets.
Phase 3 (Performance-based payments):
Only during
this phase would Myanmar start to implement REDD+ activities, through a national
performance-based system of resource (benefit) distribution. The implementation
of phase 3 depends on decisions taken by the UNFCCC. Phase
3 may be financed through payments from funds and sale of carbon credits on
markets.
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| Myanmar REDD+ Roadmap |
The Government of Norway and
the UN-REDD programme provided the necessary funding for the preparation of the
Myanmar REDD+ Readiness Roadmap. Technical support was provided by the UN-REDD
programme, RECOFTC and the many government, CSO and private sector
organisations involved in the different Technical Working Groups in charge of
drafting the Roadmap.
