Status of REDD+in Lao PDR
Institutions, Frameworks
and Pilot Activities
Presented by:Khamsene Ounekham
REDD+ TF Secretariat
Planning and Cooperation Division
Department of Forestry, Lao PDROutline of Presentation
 Summary Progress on Frameworks and Systems
 Progress on Institutions
 Approaches

 Progress on Pilot Activities
 Challenges and Gaps Next Steps in 20122

Summary 2010 Lao PDR Drafts R-PP Document and Submitted to FCPF
 Adopts national and sub-national (market-based)

approaches, REDD+ demonstration activities start: GIZ/KfW and JICA.

 2011

 Lao PDR Finalizes R-PP Document
 Rearrange of REDD+ Task Force Creation of New Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment
 Explores ways to integrate national and sub-national projects
through nesting 2012

 Planned establishment of National REDD+ Office Discussions on multiple Technical Working Groups

 Forest Law Legal Framework begins revision process3Frameworks and Systems
 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is currently in theprocess of revising forest law legal framework.
 First legal basis for REDD+ in Law

 REDD+ Safeguards are currently being piloted by theDepartment of Forestry in at least 1 Demonstration Activity
 Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) CCBA Certification

 Systems currently under discussion: Reference Levels

 Inventory Systems
 MRV System

 Forest Law Legal Framework

 Benefit Sharing and Distribution

 Timeframe for revision is selected: June 20124

Flow of Major Processes in REDD+

REL
Institutional
Setup

Mitigation
Activities

Regulatory
Setup

Emission
Reductions

MRV

Safeguards
Measured
Reductions
below REL

REDD+
Funding
Cycle

Registry

Sale of Credits /Certificates ofPerformance

Benefit
Sharing

Payments &Markets5

Safeguards
 Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Processdeveloping guidelines is under way:

 Partner with CSO (LBA) to develop FPIC guidelines

 Consultation with relevant stakeholders, including: Lao Front for Construction

 Women’s Union

 Pilot conducted by CliPAD-GIZ in one of REDD+ Sub-

National Demonstration Activity: Nam Phui NPA (CliPADGIZ)
 REDD+ capacity building at “grassroots level” byRECOFTC

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Benefit Sharing and Distribution
 Key Regulatory Objective: Clarification of carbon

tenure and how to make carbon legally recognizedby law; Once carbon tenure can be legally defined, it canbe more clearly understood how to distribute
performance-based benefit sharing.
 One potential benefit sharing system, timber inproduction forests is being reviewed for use in REDD+by DOF with the support of SUFORD.

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Institutions
 Ministerial Control

 Some aspects of REDD+ will be shared between

MAF (through DOF) and MONRE (through DFRM).

 The National REDD+ Office Will be established as soon as February, 2012

 Technical Working Groups

 Established by REDD+ TF, Closely linked

Coordinator Units in Office Multi-stakeholder Technical committees thatcombine government, expert and INGO input inthe creation of new guidelines andrecommendations to the REDD+ Task Force8National Environmental Council(NEC)
Minister/Vice Minister Level

REDD+ Task Force

Director General Level
Multi-Stakeholder Representation
Technical assisting and supporting

National REDD+ Office
Division Level

Technical Working Group
Enforcement andImplementation of Mitigation

Technical Working GroupREL

Technical Working Group
Benefit Sharing

Technical Working Group
Land-Use

Coordination/Consultation
Technical Working Group
Ethnic Groups and Local
Community Participation

Provincial Environmental Council(PEC)
ExecutiveImplementation

Provincial REDD+ Task ForceProvincial REDD+ Office

Technical Working Group
MRVTechnical Working Group
Legal Framework

National and Provincial Systems
 Regional government and organizations will

eventually be responsible for implementation of
the National REDD+ Strategy on the provincial
and district levels.
 Provincial REDD+ Offices will be established tocoordinate Provincial REDD+ activities.
 One option being explored is through a national
jurisdictional and nested REDD+ system.
 Provincial Jurisdictions become independent REDD+systems that operate within the national REDD+ system.
 Projects are seamlessly nested within each Provincial
jurisdiction.

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Issues in theForestry Sector ofLao PDR【Capacity Development】
Need for capacity
development toformulate and implement
policies including theForestry Strategy 2020and Strategy on Climate
Change【REDD+】
Need for addressing
rapid deforestation andforest degradation due toeconomic growth【Forest Information】
Need for developmentof forest information
which contributes tosustainable forest
management andREDD+ implementation

Support policy
formulation andimplementation

REDD+Pilot
Project

Useful tool forsustainableforest
managementandimprovementof villager’s
livelihood

Developforest
informationin Lao PDR

Forestry Sector Capacity Development Project (FSCAP) Coordinate

Japan’s projects【Period】 October 2010 to September 2014
【Objective】 Capacity development of the forestry sector for formulation andimplementation of policies including REDD+【Activity】 Support development of MAF 5 year plan, Provincial 5 year plan, REDD+
related activities, coordination of donor consultation, coordination of Japan’s projects etc.

Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing
Deforestation in Lao PDR (PAREDD)【Period】 August 2009 to August 2014
【Objective】 The system of reducing deforestation is developed through participatory land and forest
management in Northern Laos
【Activity】 Develop the approach for reducing deforestation at village level, support the activities
including forest management and livelihood improvement, monitor forest cover/carbon stock andsocio-economic change etc.

Forest Preservation Program (FPP)

Technicalsupport【Period】 2010 to 2013
【Objective】 Capacity building for application of forest information by equipment
procurement and technical assistance for forest preservation planning in forestry sector【Activity】 Procured equipments training, Forest information network system development,
Reference emission level setting, Protection forest management plan (draft) development

Forest Information Management (FIM)【Period】 2010 to 2012
【Objective】 Capacity building for development and management of national level forest
base data necessary for reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation【Activity】 Construction of forest information center, Equipment procurement for forest
base map development, Technical assistance for forest survey and remote sensing, etc. 11

Forest Information
Management Program (FIM)
Development of 2010
Forest base map

Implementation ofField Survey Whole
Laos country

Capacity Building for
Remote Sensing / Data
Base / Field Survey

12Integrating Existing Activities One of the most important existing systems currently

in place is the JICA funded Forest Information
Management Program (FIM),2010 forest base-map
 National biomass database Historical forest cover maps (1990, 2000, 2005).
 Through a cooperation between DOF-GIZ-JICA andLEAF, three REDD+ systems will be developed using
FIM’s work: National, Provincial and District Reference Emission Levels(RELs) National Measurement, Reporting & Verification System(MRV) National Biomass Database13

Progress on MRV and RL/RELs
 Overall Proposed Modification to National Forest InventoryClassification System in 2011 (leaded by FIM)

 Building National RL/REL Currently establishing forest cover maps for 2000, 2006 & 2011 Convert FIM biomass database information into a National

Carbon Biomass Database, to supply data on national carbonstocks,
 Convert historical forest cover change from 2000 to 2011 into
the national REL for Lao PDR.
 Building the National MRV National forest cover map will be stratified into a national

carbon map using FIM and REDD+ project data, Wall-to-wall satellite monitoring to track changes in forest
cover and strata layers (every 1-2 years)

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Progress on MRV and RL/RELs= FIPD & FIM= FIPD FIM, CliPAD & LEAF Collaboration= Occur Automatically= All Sub-National VCS Projects

FIM Historical
ChangeMaps 1990,

National MRV

2000, 2006

FIM National
Classification Map 2011

National
RL/REL
2000-2011

FIM
Biomass
Database

FIM

SubNational
Provincial
Monitoring

National
CarbonStratification

National
Biomass
Database

Project MRVs
Nested within
Provincial
MRVs

CliPAD
PAREDDSUFORD?
Province
Default RELs

District
Default RELs

VCS Project
BiomassData

VCS ProjectLevel
Activities

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Approaches
 Lao PDR envisions three primary aspects of it’s

National REDD+ System National REDD+ Institutions
 REDD+ Offices, Task Force and Policy National REDD+ Mitigation Actions
 Implemented by government at provincial levels

 Sub-National REDD+ Projects
 NGO and Private Sector Projects

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Approaches••••

NationalREDD+Institutions
SubNationalREDD+Projects•••

National
REDD+MitigationActivities•

Private Sector REDD+ Projects
Bilateral REDD+ Projects
NGO REDD+ Projects

REDD+ Task ForceREDD+ Office
REDD+ Systems
REDD+ Policies
and Regulations•Provincial (Jurisdictional)
Activities that strengthening
existing forest protection.
National, Provincial and District
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Approaches
 Each of these three areas overlap with eachother to create systems that interact in strategicways:
 Increases government enforcement, Creates an overall system that harmonizes

provincial and project level activities,
 Creates clear processes and requirements that arecommercial for private sector projects,

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Approaches
••
•
•
•

Clear procedures for newprojects
Commercially competitive
regulations
Private sector investment
Social and biologicalsafeguards for projects
Taxation of credit sales

NationalREDD+Institutions

SubNationalREDD+Projects

•
•

•
•

Government-based
enforcement of forest andland laws
Draws government-togovernment investment

National
REDD+Mitigation
Activities

Nested Approach
Jurisdictions (provinces) and Projects bothable to sell to carbon market under VCS

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REDD+ Target Issues
 Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Laos: Large-scale shift from local subsistence to cash-cropagriculture, Large-scale agroindustry (rubber & palm) Under managed and illegal logging
 Hydropower Strategies at different jurisdictional levels: National Level – Policy, institutions, project coordinationand governance Provincial – Policy, institutions and law enforcement, District – Implementation of provincial policies
 Sub-national – Independent REDD+ Projects by Private andNGO actors.
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Progress on Pilot Activities
 REDD+ demonstration activities are normallyprioritized based on existing gaps in the REDD+
Readiness process, Example: The new LEAF program (USAID) will largely

help fill existing gaps in MRV and REL development.

 Private Sector is expected to play a critical rolein helping to build a new sector throughinvestment in the development of their ownprojects.

21Current Pilot Activities Current Activities Supporting National Framework: Readiness, Policy and Frameworks


FCPF, World Bank
FIP, World BankCliPAD, German Government – GIZ/KfW

 Current Sub-National Activities:
 Market-Based Projects (VCS): CliPAD, German Government – GIZ/KfW
 PAREDD/PAREDD+, JICA

 SUFORD, Finnish Government

 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Approximately 4-5 private sector project developers

 Non Market-based Sub-National Projects:

 LEAF Project, SNV/Winrock International/Climate Focus
 PAREDD/PAREDD+, JICA

 CliPAD, German Government – GIZ/KfW

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Private Sector Involvement
 Private sectors are able to initiate and promote

REDD+ activities in a unique way. They are ableto: Develop their own projects that target specific,

high-potential REDD+ areas, Act flexibly with government, Reach many different markets and buyers ofcredits,
 Respond quickly to international standards andsafeguards,

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Private Sector Involvement
 Several technical tools are available to guidethe private sector in Laos:

 Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)

www.v-c-s.org

 Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS)

www.climate-standards.org

 Winrock International – “Technical issues related toimplementing REDD+ Programs in Mekong Countries”
 SUFORD Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) DesignGuidelines 2009
 RPP 2011 – Lao PDR

http://www.forestcarbonasia.org/other-publications/forestcarbon-partnership-facility-readiness-preparation-proposal-rpp-lao-pdr/

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Challenges and Gaps Current Challenges and Gaps Include: Refinement of national forest definitions still in process Carbon stratification of forest cover base-map has not yet
been started
 Certain forest types in Laos are particularly difficult todifferentiate using remote sensing (e.g. bamboo and low
density mixed forests),
 Funding and schedule for future satellite monitoring isuncertain.
 National Standard Operating Procedure for biomass datacollection,
 MRV system does not yet exist, only in conceptualization
phase.
 Capacity Building Needs:

 Overall capacity building on MRV approach and technicalprocesses,
 Capacity building on carbon stratification,
 Standardized processes for remote sensing,25

Final Comments
 Laos is developing a nested MRV system tosimultaneously monitor and track provincial andproject performance.

 Piloting in 3 provinces monitoring against

Provincial Reference Emission Levels and marketbased VCS projects.

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Thank You.
Contact Details:
Mr. Khamsene Ounekham
REDD+ TF Secretariat,Planning and Cooperation Division
Department of Forestry, Lao PDR
ounekham_k@yahoo.com