3 August 2015: Efforts to prepare forest countries to implement the UNFCCC REDD+ guidelines are highlighted in the August/September 2015 edition of ‘The REDD+ Resource,’ the newsletter of the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD). The newsletter also features the UN-REDD Programme’s publications, as well as expert insights on upcoming events, such as the World Forestry Congress and the Paris Climate Change Conference.

The newsletter features an article on the support provided by UN-REDD to: Cambodia in developing a tool for prioritizing land areas for REDD+; Pakistan and Côte d’Ivoire in training stakeholders and in inventoring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the land-use sector; national REDD+ focal points in Africa in facilitating knowledge exchange on implementing safeguards; Papua New Guinea in launching a Satellite Land Monitoring System Laboratory; and the Solomon Islands in strengthening the capacity of land-use professionals to use geographic information systems.

Among the publications featured are: analytical studies of REDD+ legislation in Honduras and Guatemala; a technical report intended to support countries in the process of submitting forest reference emission levels/forest reference levels (FREL/FRL) to the UNFCCC; a valuation study for forest-related ecosystem services in Indonesia; and a report on the potential for REDD+ to deliver social and environmental benefits in Panama.

In addition, the newsletter announces the 61st Partner Country of the UN-REDD Programme, Guinea, and highlights the official launch of Argentina’s UN-REDD National Programme. Also noted are the outcomes of a national call for proposals on community-based REDD+ in Panama: ten proposals totaling US$250,000 were submitted by indigenous peoples and campesino communities.

The newsletter also includes two videos, one explaining the basics of remote sensing tools and the other recapping the participation of indigenous peoples during the UN-REDD Programme inception workshop in Colombia. [The REDD+ Resource – August/September 2015]