Sri Lanka UN-REDD Program strengthens Government capacity for REDD+ readiness

Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Program Management Unit of the Sri Lanka United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) Program recently conducted a workshop for Senior Officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). A group of 27 Senior Officers participated in this awareness raising workshop on ;Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) in developing countries’.

Assistant directors, range officers and park wardens of the DWC received an in-depth understanding on REDD and REDD+ as a mechanism, and the role of the DWC in the readiness phase. The workshop was a follow-up to the first awareness-raising workshop conducted in March 2014. The workshop, whilst creating awareness among the senior officials of the DWC sought support in preparing the country for the REDD+ program which assists Sri Lanka in addressing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation by reorienting the development of the forest sector and other land-use sectors. Assistant Director (Law Enforcement) Vijith Samarakoon emphasised that “enhancing the understanding and building capacity of the DWC would be able to eventually contribute in designing a national REDD+ strategy for Sri Lanka.”