1 October 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) announced that the Third Regional Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry, which convened on 28 September 2012, in Nadi, Fiji, endorsed the Pacific Islands Regional Policy Framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and forest conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+).

According to SPC, the framework aims to support Pacific Island countries (PICs) to address and participate in international regimes on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in the forest and trees sector. The framework was developed as part of a regional project titled “Climate Protection through Forest Conservation in Pacific Islands Countries,” funded by the International Climate Initiative of Germany’s Federal Environment Ministry.

SPC says the Framework provides options to guide national REDD+ programme development in the four larger Melanesian countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. These countries are preparing to receive performance-based payments from national-scale accounted emission reductions. Smaller PICs are expected to benefit from such a project-based, site-specific approach to REDD+. [SPC Press Release]