National REDD+ Strategy/Action Plan (NS/AP): The Government of Sri Lanka officially approved the National REDD+ Investment Framework and Action Plan (NRIFAP) in May 2017. It is a five-year, $99 million investment framework incorporating domestic and international sources of finance; it sets a clear vision for REDD+ in Sri Lanka; and highlights the short- and long-term benefits of climate change adaptation, community livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The UN-REDD Programme also supported ongoing efforts to attract investment for the elements of the NRIFAP not covered by domestic sources.
Forest Reference Emission Level / Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL): The UN-REDD Programme supported the submission of Sri Lanka’s first national FRL to the UNFCCC in January 2017, and the country completed the Technical Assessment process.
National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS): A NFMS geoportal was successfully established and launched in March 2017 with UN-REDD Programme support. Additionally, the Programme supported the production of forest cover maps, which were made publicly available, and the design and initiation of a national forest inventory (NFI) through South-South collaboration with the Forest Survey of India. A trial run of the NFI method was undertaken in 400 plots nationwide, and a manual released in two languages in June 2017.
Safeguard Information System (SIS): Sri Lanka’s SIS was established as a central information and reporting function coordinated by the Climate Change Secretariat. The UN-REDD Programme also supported the identification of safeguard parameters and indicators against which they may be assessed, and capacity-building for the CCS and other institutions necessary for its implementation.
The Sri Lanka UN-REDD National Programme was successfully completed in June 2017. The Programme promoted the sustainability of activities and outputs achieved in the readiness phase through efforts to secure funding for some of the policies and measures in the NRIFAP. A grant of $21 million from the World Bank and United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was provisionally approved, and the Government made a commitment of $20 million over five years from 2018. These commitments already represent a very successful “exit strategy” for the NP. A further proposal has been submitted by UNDP to the Green Climate Fund.
South-South collaboration was enhanced through an invitation from the Government of Sri Lanka to the Forest Survey of India to design the NFI and train the Forest Department of Sri Lanka in its implementation. India agreed to provide technical assistance for NFI data entry and analysis in the future. Both countries have identified a focal point in their respective departments who will communicate in any further technical cooperation.
