What is REDD

Given the trend of climate change in the world, most countries joined an international treaty i.e. the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to start to consider measures to lessen global warming and to cope with future temperature increase. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations warns that deforestation continues at a higher rate of approximately 13 million hectares per year for the period 1990–2005.

Deforestation and forest degradation lead to release of the carbon originally stored in the trees as CO2 emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 18-20% of current global annual carbon emissions are the result of loss of tropical forest.

The IPCC recommends that reducing deforestation is the mitigation option for attaining immediate carbon stock impact globally and may generate a new financial stream for sustainable forest management in developing countries.

Tanzania has decided to embark upon a national REDD programme to meet its obligations of managing her forests sustainably while responding to poverty reduction initiatives. The government is envisaging to participate in the future REDD policy and in its development and inclusion into UNFCCC framework. Already a process to develop a National Strategy and Action Plan for REDD has been initiated and is facilitated through an appointed Task Force
Forest resources in Tanzania

Tanzania is endowed with large and valuable forest resources. About 33.5 million hectares is forests and woodlands. Out of this total area, almost two thirds consists of woodlands on public lands which lack proper management.

About 13 million hectares of this total forest area have been gazetted as forest reserves. Over 80,000 hectares of the gazetted area is under plantation forestry and about 1.6 million hectares are under water catchment management.

The forests offer habitat for wildlife, beekeeping unique natural ecosystems and genetic resources. Forest related goods and services have a significant potential for the economic development of the country. However, Tanzania is facing serious environmental degradation problems. Among the most important ones are deforestation and forest degradation. Furthermore, climate change poses another challenge to sustainable livelihoods and forest management in Tanzania.

Forests play important role in climate change mitigation as sources and sinks of CO2. Forest biomass acts as a source of carbon when burned or when decays. Also, when soil is disturbed it releases CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 18-20% of current global annual carbon emissions are the result of loss of tropical forest. On the other hand, forests also act as carbon sinks when their area or productivity increases, resulting in an increased uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere.They absorb CO2 and release oxygen into the atmosphere through the natural process of photosynthesis in which CO2 is converted to carbon and stored in the woody tissue of the plant. It is because of this that some forms of forestry activities are used as valid means for atmospheric CO2 reduction as they contribute significantly to climate change mitigation.

For a long time, the Government of Tanzania has attempted to curb the problem of deforestation by promoting village and community forestry aimed at producing sufficient amount of forest products and services to meet both local demands and promote the forests contribution to global environmental conservation. Despite these efforts, environmental degradation continues at a fast rate.

This is partly due to unsustainable land-uses such as shifting agriculture, but more so because of the relationship between environmental degradation and poverty in attempts to satisfy basic needs. The consequences have been loss of biodiversity and general decline of forest products and services such as fuelwood, and water catchment values.

The Government of Tanzania has realised that a more comprehensive approach was needed to ensure sustainable forest management in the country in the face of climate change. It is in this context that Tanzania has embarked on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) initiative.

In Tanzania REDD initiative is taken as an opportunity that will contribute to the efforts towards ecosystem management and poverty reduction through sound forest management.