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Tanzania is the latest country to have started implementing UN-REDD (photo: Julie Pudlovski/UNDP)

Tanzania has embarked on a $4.2 million initiative to fight climate change by focusing on sustainable forest management.

The initiative is part of a global United Nations programme called REDD (“Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation”) that seeks to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon growth.

It is predicted that financial flows for greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved in this initiative could continue to increase. This significant North-South flow of funds will reward a meaningful reduction of carbon emissions and could also support pro-poor development and help to preserve biodiversity. The funding will also help to secure what is known as “ecosystem services”, the services provided by natural ecosystems, which include, among others, provision of food and water, crop pollination and climate and disease control.

Tanzania is one of the eight “One UN” pilot countries, which means that the UN is implementing programmes in a more coherent, efficient and cost-effective manner there. As such, it represents an ideal candidate for
REDD, a partnership between UNDP, the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).