News
Democratic Republic of the Congo requests support in establishing a regional Congo Basin approach on Measuring Reporting and Verifying emissions from forests
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) takes steps to create a harmonized regional Congo Basin approach for Measuring Reporting and Verifying (MRV) emissions from forests, at a recent workshop on the validation of MRV activities in this country
Participation in the workshop, held in Kinshasa from 12-13 October within the framework of the UN-REDD Programme, showed strong engagement of stakeholders in building a REDD process in this country. Stakeholders attending the workshop included government institutions, NGOs, civil society, research institutions and international agencies (the three UN-REDD agencies FAO, UNDP and UNEP, and the World Bank). Within the MRV and REDD context, country institutions and the various organizations working in and with forestry, remote sensing, civil society and research gave a series of presentations. One of the main outcomes of the workshop included the understanding and clarification of what activities are necessary for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to undertake for MRV and which of these might be prioritized. Discussions also allowed the international agencies to gain a better understanding of the concerns, national capacities and priorities in the country regarding REDD. There was also strong focus on two key points: remote sensing with regards to the forest area data, and the development of a national forest inventory with regards to the emission factor. Both components will, in turn, support the country’s national greenhouse gas inventory. The workshop resulted in increased country ownership and enthusiasm of MRV activities, and for the overall REDD process, at both national and institutional levels. It also highlighted the Democratic Republic of the Congo's leadership in developing and harmonizing the MRV of emissions from forests not only from a national perspective but from a regional Congo Basin approach.  | | Satellite images from the Democratic Republic of the Congo shows forest cover in 1990 compared to the cover in 2005 | |