"Creating synergies between REDD+ and FLEGT VPA in Ghana"

Hello once again,
I bring to you a paper authored by a colleague (Saskia Ozinga of FERN) and I which was recently published by the European Tropical Forest Reseach Network (ETRN) and Tropenbos International in the latest of their regular ETFRN News. The latest issue is number 55. In the paper we discuss the potential synergies and linkages that can be built between the REDD+ and FLEGT VPA initiatives building on our experiences of the two processes. It makes a very useful read. Below is an abstract and a link to the article including additional 21 articles on the theme of linkages between REDD+ and FLEGT VPA from authors of may different disciplines/specializations and backgrounds.

Abstract:
The reform of forest governance is now an established part of the global debate on forests. It is widely accepted that better forest governance can be achieved only by improving the relationship between forest owning communities,1 governments, civil society and the private sector in the management of forest resources, especially tropical forests.The principal objective of the FLEGT VPA and REDD+ initiatives is to provide a political and financial framework to bring about improved forest governance. But in reality the initiatives risk reinforcing the status quo and worsening the position of forestowning and forest-dependent communities. These initiatives are managed by different political entities at the international level. Is their institutional arrangement at the national level with regard to negotiation and implementation also different? Do the two initiatives strengthen or undermine each other? And can they both be managed and implemented to bring about improved forest governance? This article provides answers to these questions, focusing on Ghana and based on many years of experience of the campaign carried out by NGO coalition Forest Watch Ghana (FWG) and its partners to improve forest governance.

Creating synergies between REDD+ and FLEGT VPA in Ghana