Mekong - U.S. Partnership
On March 6, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests program supported partners from Vietnam’s Lam Dong Province in another big step toward adopting an innovative provincial REDD+ action plan.
The provincial plan’s aim is to reduce emissions by 27 percent by 2020 and integrate emissions reduction activities into the provincial forest protection and development plan. Meeting participants included the Lam Dong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Vietnam REDD+ Office, the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, the Multiple-Benefits REDD+ Project, the USAID Vietnam Forests and Deltas program and the U.S. Forest Service.
Partners agreed on key next steps and methodologies to develop the full plan, including agreement on the provincial reference level, scenario planning, development of a forest measuring and monitoring systems, financial investment, and incentive models. Lam Dong’s provincial plan will be the first such plan to receive approval in Vietnam, and is one of the first regional models for integrated REDD+ planning at a subnational level.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
