CLIMATE PROTECTION THROUGH AVOIDED DEFORESTATION - A SUCCESS STORY IN LAOS
During a project visit from 19-23 Oct 2020, German Ambassador to Laos, Jens Lütkenherm, called ten years of German technical and financial cooperation related to climate protection through avoided deforestation (CliPAD) in the Huaphan Province of Laos a success story. The German Ambassador, accompanied by representatives of KFW, GIZ, WCS, the Deputy Governor of Huaphan Province and local authorities, mentioned that activities under financial cooperation will be completed by the end of 2020. Lessons learned and best practices will be applied and scaled up by the new Green Climate Fund project “Implementation of the Lao PDR Emission Reductions Program through improved governance and sustainable forest landscape management” being implemented in the same area by GIZ.
The Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation Program (CliPAD) is a development initiative of the Government of Lao PDR (GoL) supported by the German Government through assistance provided by the technical (GIZ) and financial cooperation (KfW). It aims at addressing the loss and degradation of natural forests causing high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as at improving the livelihood of rural communities and conserving precious biodiversity.
CliPAD FC contributes to achieving the overall CliPAD purpose by achieving the objective to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of pro-poor REDD in national protected areas (NPA) and adjoining areas. The project involved authorities and communities receive performance based payments through a REDD benefit sharing and distribution mechanism. By pursuing this outcome, it attempts to address the loss and degradation of natural forests, as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the above objectives, CliPAD FC envisions to contribute to the so called REDD co-benefits including improved livelihood of rural communities, the conservation of biodiversity as well as a number of other environmental benefits. CliPAD supports the Government of Lao PDR in implementing priority policies (mainly related to the National Socio-Economic Development Plan, NSEDP), as well as meeting regional and international commitments related to poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
The second phase has focused on supporting relevant authorities at the national level and in the project target province with investments related to mitigation activities to address identified drivers of deforestation and degradation, so that related emissions could be reduced. CliPAD has supported 70 villages in two districts of Huaphan Province with local-level mitigation measures related to forest management, village development funds and forest monitoring as well as performance-based payments. This will create the expected positive impacts on livelihood, poverty and biodiversity.
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