Cambodian Government to Scale Forest Conservation While Ensuring Economic Growth and Prosperity Through REDD+

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Oct 13, 2022, 05:30 ET

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During a globally broadcast webinar by Innovation Forum, sponsored by Everland, the Cambodian government outlined its commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, through forest conservation, whilst raising the country's GDP by 3% and creating nearly half a million jobs.

Following the Cambodian Ministry of Environment's pledge to cut the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reach carbon neutrality, representatives of the government, NGOs, and Indigenous Peoples from REDD+ project areas came together to discuss their collaborative efforts to halt deforestation through the United Nations mechanism Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+).

One of the primary ways the Cambodian government plans to preserve the country's forests is through implementing and scaling REDD+ projects, which have the potential to reduce deforestation rates by 50% within the decade.

Acknowledging the role that REDD+ projects play in mitigating the overall impact of deforestation, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, H.E. Chuop Paris said, "The Government of Cambodia had the opportunity to submit its long-term strategy for carbon neutrality by 2050, of which the National REDD+ strategy is a key component in meeting that objective, but it can only be achieved through the active participation and collaboration of private businesses, local communities, and partners."

As a community-based model, REDD+ projects ensure forest communities protecting their forests receive direct investment that finances sustainable livelihoods, to no longer rely on deforestation for subsistence or profit.

Cambodia's Minister of Environment H.E. Dr. Say Samal said, "Many Cambodians live close to forests, where for many generations they have been dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods, living sustainably and in harmony with the forests around them. In order to protect our culture and precious resources, we have planned for continuing economic growth and prosperity for our people, while also protecting our country's forests."

Panelists from the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project by Wildlife Alliance and the Keo Seima REDD+ Project by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) delved into the ways in which partners ensure community members benefit directly from the protection of the forest under the REDD+ mechanism. Wildlife Alliance employs trained rangers to patrol Protected Areas and implement effective law enforcement in partnership with the government. This approach ensures 2,393 families, which corresponds to 13,289 people, are direct beneficiaries of carbon credit sales and project activities. Another example brought forward by representatives of the indigenous Bunong community is how support from WCS has helped them secure legal rights over their ancestral lands within the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary REDD+ Project area so that they are no longer vulnerable to land-grabbing that has been a significant contributor to deforestation in the past.

This discussion is a part of a series launched by Everland and Innovation Forum that spotlights how the cooperation between governments, project developers, community members, and corporations who voluntarily offset unavoidable emissions, is the most scalable, effective, and immediate measure to stop deforestation and its damaging effects.

Discussing the importance of tackling deforestation and ensuring COP26 deforestation pledges made in Glasgow are realized, Josh Tosteson, President of Everland, said, 'As world leaders prepare to gather at COP27, we must remind ourselves that preserving forests is central to the climate fight, yet failures on past pledges have brought us to where we are today: carbon emissions from tropical deforestation this century are far higher than thought. With rates doubling in just two decades and continuing to accelerate, there is an urgency to act now. Through aligned, dedicated, and collective action, we can, in fact, end deforestation.'

To support the wider global ambitions to end deforestation, Everland launched The Forest Plan, which outlines its ambition to facilitate the development of up to 75 forest conservation projects in critical hotspots around the world. The plan was developed in response to pledges made by 141 countries at COP26 to end deforestation by 2030.

Notes to Editor
For the full webinar: https://www.innovationforum.co.uk/articles/how-redd-is-working-to-save-cambodia-s-forests

Media Contacts:
Aisha Ali, Stonehaven
[email protected]

Leticia Labre, Director of The Forest Plan
[email protected]

Mandy Miranda, Everland
[email protected]

About the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary REDD+ Project
https://everland.earth/projects/keo-seima/

About the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project
https://everland.earth/projects/southern-cardamom/

About Everland
Everland represents the world's largest portfolio of high-impact forest conservation (REDD+) projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Everland brings forest communities and corporations together in a common cause to protect some of the world's most important and vulnerable forests. Visit: www.everland.earth

SOURCE Everland