Recognizing our nation’s increasing vulnerability to the escalating impacts of climate change; and
Acknowledging our status as an international megadiversity hotspot
We, the Philippine Government, is committed towards further reducing our emissions from the forestry sector through the conservation and enhancement of our forests, and the expansion of our forest carbon stocks.
Our efforts towards reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation have yielded modest results over the last two decades. Our forest cover increased from 6.4 million hectares to 7.2 million hectares—an outcome of our solid partnerships with various stakeholders including forest dependent communities and indigenous peoples at the forefront of the sustainable management of our forests.
However, much remains to be done. In particular, there remains the huge potential to develop and expand 9M hectares of non-forested and degraded forestland, if given the proper support and incentives.
We therefore support the establishment and implementation of a robust REDD+ mechanism which can provide key resources and incentives that not only enable and support the sustainable management of our forests, but further nurture the Philippines’ carbon stocks.
Committed, therefore, to contribute towards the reduction of global greenhouse gases by curtailing deforestation and degradation and enhancing our forest carbon stocks, our country has begun national consultations towards the formulation of a National REDD Strategy, under a National REDD Program, and shall pursue the following key areas:
1. Address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation towards the enhancement of carbon stocks and biodiversity protection, both on the national and subnational levels
2. Promote REDD+ towards the attainment of sustainable development and overall poverty reduction
3. Orient REDD+ activities against the safeguards which addresses non-permanence and leakage, the free and effective participation of indigenous people and respect for their rights, and good forest governance that is equitable and accountable
4. Generate and develop appropriate knowledge management systems, considering guidance from SBSTA, and intensify information sharing, starting with the establishment of a national forest reference emission level and REDD+ baselines
5. Establish a robust and transparent national and subnational reporting and verification system in accordance to national circumstances
6. Build the capacity of institutions and various stakeholders to effectively implement REDD+ programs and projects.
We will pursue our National REDD Strategy in a phase driven approach, as early action towards mitigation and adaptation. As such, we acknowledge the importance of equitable, adequate, predictable and sustainable REDD+ financing and technology support, including support for capacity-building, to allow us to realize our National REDD Strategy.
We need to reach a strong agreement on a REDD+ mechanism by the conclusion of Copenhagen. Having an enabling agreement on REDD+ will signal commitment on the part of the international community to effectively address emissions from the forestry sector, and boost our efforts to protect and nurture our standing forests.
