A sub national REDD+ pilot project covering forests of high conservation value and forest restoration areas in Thailand produces a comprehensive “project design document” (PDD). This will help guide other regional projects.
REDD+ pilot project
Objective
OTHER TREEMAPS ACTIVITIES
Management of forests and protected areas is decentralized in Thailand. That means local and regional structures and experiences have an important role to play in running REDD+ and other voluntary carbon projects and supporting national objectives.
As understanding of REDD+ and related opportunities is generally low at this level, we’re setting up a pilot project in Thailand that will provide valuable experience and insights. Provincial government and other local stakeholders will be engaged in designing and running the project, which will include:
The area has suffered from deforestation, and continuing encroachment is threatening DPKY’s World Heritage Site status. In 2011, UNESCO recommended setting up a REDD+ project to counter this.
The pilot site raises a number of issues which will provide useful experience elsewhere:
As understanding of REDD+ and related opportunities is generally low at this level, we’re setting up a pilot project in Thailand that will provide valuable experience and insights. Provincial government and other local stakeholders will be engaged in designing and running the project, which will include:
- Assessing carbon emissions and their primary causes
- Calculating the co-benefits from ecosystem services that forests provide, such as clean water and flood protection
- Incorporating social and biodiversity safeguards into a PDD.
Protecting a World Heritage Site
Our pilot site is the Dong Phrayayen Khao Yai (DPKY) Forest Complex in the northeast of Thailand. The area, which includes several national parks, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It contains globally important monsoon forest ecosystems and is home to more than 800 species of wildlife, including tigers, elephants and gibbons.The area has suffered from deforestation, and continuing encroachment is threatening DPKY’s World Heritage Site status. In 2011, UNESCO recommended setting up a REDD+ project to counter this.
The pilot site raises a number of issues which will provide useful experience elsewhere:
- It includes several forest habitat types,– this means several government agencies are involved, so we’ll be seeking creative ways to promote cooperation between them.
- Infrastructure development, including highways and dams, is planned for the area, so carefully integrated planning and policy decisions are needed.
- It’s an important habitat for tigers and other endangered species.
