Abstract
Cameroon is committed to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+). To achieve this goal, the government has introduced a series of policy reforms and formulated a number of key strategic planning documents to advance the REDD+ readiness process in Cameroon. This paper assesses the extent to which major cross-sectoral policies support or impede the development and implementation of an optimal REDD+ strategy in Cameroon from a comparative multi-criteria perspective. Study results reveal that a majority of the policy instruments reviewed appeared to be less prescriptive in terms of any tangible REDD+ strategy, as they do not have provisions for tangible measures to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. Given the lack of adequate flexibility, prompt review and responsiveness of these cross-sectoral policies to adapt themselves to new realities and respond to a changing environment, this paper introduces a GIS-REDD+ decision support system (GIS-REDD+DSS) that is necessary to support the adaptive element of an adaptive REDD+ strategy in Cameroon. The GIS-REDD+DSS, an electronic REDD+agri intermediary hub, serves the following purpose: (1) host a database of locally-relevant climate information, improved input technologies, best practices as well as land use and forest cover geo-spatial maps; (2) host a virtual economic tool that performs economic valuations (costs and benefits) and financial analysis of REDD+agri projects to aid investment decision-making; and (3) host an electronic marketplace to mediate any-to-any transactions among REDD+agri project developers, service providers, input suppliers, private and institutional investors and buyers (wholesalers and retailers), thereby creating value in two ways: aggregation and matching. This decision support tool, we argue, is a fundamental prerequisite for “policy and REDD+ safeguard integration” innovation that allows new scientific findings to be integrated into REDD+ strategies in a short period of time.
Highlights
Until the 1980s, protecting the environment was not a key priority and played an insignificant role in the decision-making process in Cameroon [1]
The policy and planning documents analysed throughout this paper are the following: (i) the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) of 2009; (ii) the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) of June, 2003; (iii) the Forest and Environment Sector Programme (FESP) of June, 2012; and (iv) the First National Communication to Climate Change (FNCCC1) of August, 2005
Given the lack of adequate flexibility, prompt review and responsiveness of these cross-sectoral policies to adapt themselves to new realities and respond to a changing environment, the section of the paper introduces a GIS-REDD+ decision support system (GIS-REDD+DSS) that is necessary to support the adaptive element of an adaptive REDD+ strategy in Cameroon
Summary
Until the 1980s, protecting the environment was not a key priority and played an insignificant role in the decision-making process in Cameroon [1]. As a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol in 1992, Cameroon is committed to help stabilize concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere [3] in keeping with Kyoto’s objectives of “stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would stop dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” [4,5,6,7]. Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation is seen as a potential measure to achieve such an objective [8,9], with sustainable agricultural intensification seen as especially promising [10]. Despite this potential, there is currently no comprehensive national approach to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Cameroon [1].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
