Jamaica received a US$0.6 million grant to fund REDD+ readiness actions as part of its Forest Policy, through the support of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.
Jamaica received a US$0.6 million grant to fund REDD+ readiness actions as part of its Forest Policy, through the support of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.
The Hub’s National Adviser deployed in Jamaica, Katherine Blackman provided technical assistance to draft the grant proposal for the Green Climate Fund, which will support the country’s aims for ‘no-net-losses’ to forest cover.
The Hub’s General Manager, Bilal Anwar, said: “Maintenance and restoration of the forest ecosystems and protection of the country’s biodiversity is one of the key component of Jamaica’s low carbon developmental strategy. It is profoundly gratifying that the technical assistance by the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub has enabled the country to receive this readiness grant for REDD+ activities.”
REDD+ or Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation is a mechanism developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.
Jamaica’s National REDD+ Focal Point at the Forestry Department, Brahim Diop said: “The REDD+ readiness grant will provide the financial and technical support to holistically manage the country’s forested resources, via inclusive stakeholder engagement, by increasing the value of forests relative to other land uses and transforming the economic activities both within and outside of the forests.”
The Hub has deployed eight National Advisors in some of the most climatically vulnerable countries of the world in the Africa, Pacific and Caribbean regions. Jamaica is one of the early beneficiary countries of the technical assistance programme of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub.
National Adviser Blackman said: “Around 40% of Jamaica’s land is covered by forests; 26.5% is managed by the Forestry Department but the remainder is under private ownership with no legislative framework to govern its protection.”
Previously, with her assistance, Jamaica secured a grant US$582,000 for improving the private sector investment in support of low carbon and climate resilient growth.
