Forestry stakeholders meet in Ghana

Ghanaian Times: A two-day workshop on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, has been held in Accra. The workshop is to sensitise stakeholders in forest management on a range of issues related to REDD and to ensure their involvement in designing a REDD readiness plan for the country.

It is to enable countries, particularly those from the third world, to benefit from the Carbon Fund established by the World Bank to compensate countries that are ready to reduce carbon emissions. REDD is an initiative of developing countries to combat the effect of global climate change. ….Participants are drawn from state agencies, non governmental organisations, traditional rulers, the World Bank and representatives from Ghana and Liberia governments.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Prof. Nii Ashie Kotey, described the workshop as timely as it would set the tone for the United Nations Climate Change Talks to be held in Accra next week for the third session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long term Cooperative Action. He said the REDD workshop would consider policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Other issues considered at the workshop included the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries….