Abstract:
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is a mechanism that has been under negotiation by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2005. The mechanism works on two objectives i.e. mitigating climate change through reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and removing greenhouse gases through enhanced forest management in developing countries. Pakistan started REDD+ activities in 2010 and organized several REDD+ related awareness and capacity building workshops. They are aimed to partly enable the country to realize its national circumstances and to understand the international guidance on data and methodological requirements, human capacity, institutional arrangements, technical capabilities, and finical needs. The research therefore aims to identify the criteria and guidelines established by UNFCCC for the successful implementation of REDD+ MRV in Pakistan. It also highlights the tools available for the data collection of the project in Pakistan and most importantly to identify the existing capacity gaps in National forest monitoring system of Pakistan for REDD+ MRV in Pakistan. The purpose of the research conducted was to understand capacity regarding technical aspects of REDD+ that need to be enhanced and strengthened. It is therefore found that Forest management in Pakistan is still based on old principles and practices. However forest inventory through satellite imagery, GIS and GPS can be seen. The most important issues are lack of technical capacity and skills required for the successful implementation of REDD+ in Pakistan. Institutional capabilities do exist but there understanding and capacity regarding technical aspects of REDD+ need to be enhanced and strengthened. Extensive researches on the technical problems of forestry, involving technology, the forest departments need to be done currently, natural forests in particular are being managed without planning. Officially, only dead and dry tresses are extracted for meeting minimal local demand of timber or earning revenue. Proper planning and long term management is required for the successful running of REDD+ project in Pakistan. Also the understanding and capacity regarding technical aspects of REDD+ (like satellite land monitoring system to access data activity on forest area and forest changes and National forest inventory to access emissions factor on carbon stocks and carbon stock changes) need to be enhanced and strengthened.
